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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475919">The Strongest Bond</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/NataFreak/pseuds/NataFreak'>NataFreak</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Fosters (TV 2013)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Adopted Children, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Adoption, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Angst and Drama, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Blackmail, Bondage, Callie protects Jude beyond all sanity, Callie-Centric, Canonverse AU, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Dominance, Drama, Dubious Consent, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Manipulation, Exhaustion, F/M, Family, Forced Orgasm, Forced Relationship, Foster Care, Gaslighting, Grooming, Heavy Angst, Hurt, Hurt/Comfort, Light BDSM, Manipulation, Mental Anguish, Mild S&amp;M, Nightmares, Non-Consensual Kissing, Non-Consensual Oral Sex, Non-Consensual Touching, Panic Attacks, Parent-Child Relationship, Plot, Plot over smut, Plot-heavy, Plotty, Protective Callie, Protective Siblings, Protectiveness, Psychological Trauma, Secret Relationship, Secrets, Sex Toys, Sex Toys Under Clothing, Sexual Coercion, Sexual Humiliation, Sexual Slavery, Sibling Bonding, Sibling Love, Slow Burn, Stockholm Syndrome, Trauma</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-04</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-04-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-01 07:08:21</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Rape/Non-Con, Underage</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>45,463</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23475919</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/NataFreak/pseuds/NataFreak</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>This starts off during S02E09 "Leaky Faucets" and is written in an AU after that.</p><p>Callie had never planned to see Liam again, and when she does, Wyatt and Brandon are beating him up at the Mexican Festival. What happens, when Liam isn't content with just hurting Callie's credit scores? What happens, if he wants real revenge? The kind that will really break her down.</p><p>This fic is very "Explicit" in certain chapters and very "Teen and up Audiences" in almost any other. It is very angsty, but I spend a lot of time exploring how Callie deals with her family and those parts are definitely more 'drama' than anything else. I have given tags for a reason though, so please read through them if you have triggers that you would rather avoid.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Callie Quinn Jacob/Brandon Foster, Callie Quinn Jacob/Liam Olmstead</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>28</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>64</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi everybody! </p><p>Please read through the tags and warnings before digging into this. They are there for a reason. Although I am not completely sure that I will use all of them, there is a strong possibility of it. This thing is going to be riddled with triggers. You have been warned.</p><p>I have started this, basically because no one else has :) I always thought that Liam should have had a more sinister plotline. The way he acted in season 1 was just not one of a guy, who would be content to ruin Callie financially. I want to read a fanfic where Liam doesn't just let Callie off the hook, when she is the reason of his hurt. And since I can't find it anywhere, I decided to write it myself. And I figured, you guys might as well have the opportunity to read along ^^</p><p>Although I have written other stuff, this is my very first attempt at a fanfic. So be kind and enjoy &lt;3</p><p>I don't own anything regarding The Fosters TV-show.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It had been an emotional day for Callie. The Mexican festival had been sort of fun.. Until she had spotted Wyatt and Brandon fighting someone. Not someone of course. She would know him anywhere. And seeing him had made the blood feel like ice in her veins. Liam. Huge, buff and blonde like always. She couldn't move. Could hardly breathe. She just stood there and watched, until two men from the security firm broke up the fight. She had heard one of them ask Liam, if he wanted them to call the police. And that was when his eyes had found hers - just for a second - before rejecting the offer and stalking past her. He hadn't touched her. Hadn't even talked to her. And she still felt violated, just for having been so near him. The fear was one she was used to and she wouldn't buckle under it, but she was still angry with Wyatt for having put her in this position.</p><p>Now, she was laying in bed without sleeping. She wasn't completely surprised about that, but it still felt like a step back. She had been working so hard in therapy to put all of this stuff with Liam behind her. And she was finally feeling like she had been making some progress. But seeing him had reopened the wounds and she felt both raw and sad this night. Flashbacks from when Liam had come into her room that night and forced himself on her - '<em>raped her</em>' she corrected herself mentally - went through her mind again and again. And even though she was tired enough to sleep, she fought against it. She had a good idea what she would dream about and she just wasn't up for it.</p><p>The next morning she sat at the kitchen table and pushed around a bowl of cereal without really eating much. She had tried to put some effort into her appearance with a high ponytail and a white summer shirt over her jeans - hoping that this would create a distraction from the shadows under her eyes. "You okay, hun?" She looked up at Stef, who always were quick to notice, when she wasn't herself and send her a small smile. "I will be," she replied - happy that only a small note of the sadness she felt, was audible in her tone. "Alright luv," she replied and squeezed Callie's shoulder sympathetically. Callie tried to hide her feelings better. There was no need to bring the entire family into her depressed state. They had already suffered through so much for her sake. And it wasn't like anything had really happened. Stef had held her last night and everything should have been fine by now. And it would be... Soon. </p><p>She decidedly pushed her feelings away and got off the chair to throw away her soggy cereal. "You all have to be ready now, we ride in 5 minutes!" Lena's authoritative voice boomed through the kitchen and Callie went to get her backpack. </p><p>-------------------------------------------------------</p><p>School was every bit as dull and hard as it usually was. It seemed that Wyatt had taken her words from yesterday as a break up, because he didn't try to talk to her at all. And if she had to be honest with herself, maybe it had been a break up. Or at least it should have been. It was like her therapist had said. She should trust her gut and rely on Wyatt completely. Until he gave her a reason not to. Had his decision to pick a fight with Liam yesterday not been such a reason? At least they both needed a break to figure things out. She could talk to him tomorrow, if she changed her mind. </p><p>At lunch she found a quiet place to sit, where she wouldn't be joined by the twins or Brandon. Brandon. Things always seemed to be so difficult with Brandon. Even if they had agreed on keeping their distance, so that her adoption wouldn't be jeopardized even more than it already was, it was still hard to be around him. And the events of yesterday hadn't made that any easier. But as she ate her apple in the warm sunlight, she had to admit to herself that she wasn't nearly as angry with Brandon as she was with Wyatt. She wasn't really sure why though. But it was probably not a good idea to go looking for that answer either. So she let her eyes search the scenario in front of her, until they came at a halt on Jude and she couldn't hold back a warm smile. He was sitting with some boy from his class and they were obviously very engaged in a conversation. </p><p>She was so happy that he had begun to come out of his shell a bit more and was making some friends. He needed friends. He had been isolated for far too long and he had been so guilty over the fact that he got adopted, while she didn't. And this whole thing with Robert wasn't making things any easier. He needed to worry less. To just be a kid for a while. She wanted that for him more than anything. She hadn't told her brother about the incident yesterday and she had asked the others to keep it quiet too. He didn't need to worry about this. It would only make him sad. </p><p>A ping from her phone got her attention and she saw a text from a number, she didn't recognize. Puzzled she opened it and then her heart stopped beating. One second. Two seconds. And then it was racing so hard that she heard a rushing sound in her ears and her vision came slightly out of focus. The initial reaction was subconscious though and she needed a moment to let her brain catch up to her body. So she read the short text again. </p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>Hi Callie. I'm sorry, I didn't get to speak to you yesterday. Or Jude for that matter. It has been so long. Do you mind, if I drop in on him, while he is having lunch?</p></div></div><p>The words.. The wording was so innocent. But she knew, who it had to be, who send her such a text. She knew that it could only be Liam. But how had he gotten her number?! For the longest moment, she stared at the phone, until a new thought crossed her mind. How did he know that Jude was having lunch??</p><p>Panic shot through her, as her head whipped up and she looked around frantically for that one familiar face. And there he was... Just standing casually - leaning to the base of a palm tree about a hundred yards away. He wore the same plain jeans and generic t-shirt that he always wore and he was looking directly at her. And as she watched him, he lifted his hand and waved at her twice, before he twisted it and instead called her to him by creating a hook and reeling her in with his index finger.</p><p>Callie wasn't moving. For a very long time, she just sat there on the grass, unable to move. Not even to get away from him. It was only on the outside that she was calm though. Inside of her, she was having a fierce battle between her fear of Liam and what he could do to her, and the part of her that knew better than to show that fear to him. Liam liked her fear. He relished her fear. The worst thing she could do right now was to get up and run away. And she was on school property anyway. It was very limited, what could happen here. She might be able to find a way to let him think he had won, so he would leave her alone again.</p><p>Before she had made a decision, she saw him looking down on his phone and typing a few things. Her phone buzzed again, just as he looked back up. Reluctantly she took her eyes off of him to glance down at the display. </p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>You would rather that I went to speak with Jude then?</p></div></div><p>She could almost hear the taunt in his voice through that one sentence and she got resolutely to her feet. She swung her backpack onto her right shoulder and started walking towards him with angry steps.</p><p>"Don't go near Jude!" she spat harshly, when she came close enough for him to hear. The mere image of him confronting Jude when he was this happy, made her so angry that before she knew it, she had planted her hands on his chest and had pushed him hard, trying to shove him back and further away from her brother.</p><p>"Hey!" Liam didn't budge and she felt a familiar tight grip around her wrist, as he caught it with his hand. "Calm down, sweet cheeks. Or I swear that I will beat the living shit out of that boy the first chance I get."</p><p>That calmed her down more than anything else he could have said and she didn't try to fight his hold on her arm. Instead she tried to act natural, as she felt him lowering their hands, so that his grip on her would be hidden from people looking in their direction. "What are you doing here, Liam?" she asked through gritted teeth, while she tried to hold back her fear and tears. This situation was too familiar. It brought back too much and in this moment, she felt like she was fourteen again. "I didn't ask them to do anything yesterday. I didn't even know that you were there, I swear!" She felt the grip tighten and she winced, but didn't say any more.</p><p>"We will get to that," he said quietly, though she had no problem hearing him, even over her pounding heart and the buzzing of voices around them. "I simply wanted to see you, Callie. It has been so long and... Honestly I was kind of sad that I didn't run into you alone yesterday, so that we could talk a little." His voice was so calm. He almost sounded, like the way he had spoken to her, when she had lived in his parents' house. It brought her back even more and she felt a familiar chill running down her spine.</p><p>"You can't be here, Liam. Please leave. My foster mom is the vice principal. You really don't want her to see you here." She tried to scare him and did her best to make her voice fierce. It was the only thing, she could think of doing. Liam understood fear. But she couldn't look at him and even she could hear a hint of fear in her voice. Her eyes scanned the surroundings again and again - trying to figure out if anyone had noticed them.</p><p>"And what will she do?" he taunted her in the same low voice, she had used - only he didn't sound frightened. "What happened the last time you tried to pin those bogus charges on me, hmm? They let me go without a scratch. Not even a fine. Not even a warning. So what exactly is it that you are gonna do?" </p><p>She felt his grip tighten even more and she tried to pull her arm out of his hand. "You are hurting me, Liam." He held on easily and she felt no need to answer his other taunts. She had no answer. Because he was right. He would most likely never be punished through the system. The system was flawed. It wasn't fair. She had learned that lesson time and time again during her time in foster care. So she wouldn't fight him on that. She had known all along that if Liam decided that he wanted to hurt her, she wouldn't be able to stop him. Stef and Lena might be able to do something. Stop him temporarily. But they wouldn't be able to protect her forever. This would have to be a battle that she won on her own.</p><p>"Listen up, sweetheart." His voice had dropped even further now and he leaned in close enough that goosebumps emerged on her skin. "If you really want me to stay away from Jude, you will meet me after school. I will wait for you down at the bike rental place." He pointed in the direction and she nodded that she understood. "When is your last class finished?"</p><p>She had to swallow back a lump in her throat to even say anything and she still sounded like she was on the verge of tears. "2.30".</p><p>His mouth was just next to her ear now. "2.30 it is then. Don't be late." And then she felt him letting go of her wrist and she saw him turn and leave - the picture of a guy, who didn't have a care in the world.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>And that is it for Chapter 1! If you liked it, then I would really appreciate a comment or a kudo :) Also.. What do you think will happen next?</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Alright you guys. Don't expect me to update this often in the future. The story is just still so fresh and taunting in my head that my characters won't leave me alone.<br/>I don't own anything regarding The Fosters TV-show.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>She had no idea, how long she had been standing there - seemingly looking after Liam as he walked away. The truth was though that she didn't watch him at all. She was doing her very best to keep the tears in her eyes from pooling together and run down her cheeks. She was biting the inside of her cheek to gain some sort of control over this and was breathing deeply to bring herself out of this state. She was very close to having another panic attack and she knew it. Fear still ran through her veins and she swallowed hard a few times before she finally turned around. Without even thinking about it, she let her eyes scan the place until she found Jude and relaxed just a tiny bit. He was still smiling. He hadn't noticed anything. At least for now, he was safe and happy.</p><p>The bell rang and she hurried inside with the others for class. She didn't listen at all though. Her thoughts kept running around in loops in her head and she couldn't stop herself from thinking about all the things that Liam could want from her. She hoped that he just wanted to talk like he had said, but she didn't trust this hope. Not at all. He had asked her to meet him, because he wanted something from her. What? To recant her testimony? But he had already been cleared of those charges. And she honestly couldn't think of anything else, he would want from her. The uncertainty of the situation was definitely getting to her. For every round the ideas took in her mind, they became more sinister and more frightening. So much so that when Timothy touched her shoulder to get her attention, she jumped in her seat and had to stutter herself through the answer she had to give.</p><p>When the last bell rang, she had only resolved one single thing. And it wasn't anything new. She would have to protect Jude at all costs. Liam was ruthless enough that he might make good on his threats to hurt Jude, if she didn't comply. And honestly? What could be bad enough that Jude getting hurt wasn't worse? He had only just started talking again and she wouldn't do anything that would send him back into that state. </p><p>The class had ended and she had picked up her backpack and was making her way through the hallways towards the exit, when she heard another familiar voice.</p><p>"Callie! Callie wait up!" She looked behind her and saw Mariana making her way through the sea of students towards her. "Hi. I was hoping that we could walk home together? I.. Kind of need to talk to you about something..."</p><p>Mariana's voice wasn't as cheerful as it normally was and Callie instantly felt an urge to find out what was troubling her. In the months that she had lived with the Fosters and had shared a room with Mariana, they had become close. And in the last month or so, she had actually started to feel like a real sister. But she couldn't be late for this. So she just smiled at her and waved a hand towards the exit. "I.. I am actually meeting Wyatt right now. What's up?"</p><p>Mariana's face fell, but she soon regained herself. "Nothing really. We can just talk later."</p><p>She tried to smile and they walked out together, but Callie still felt this pit in her stomach over not being there for her foster sister, if she needed it. But whatever it was that bothered Mariana, it wasn't likely to be as serious as what Callie was dealing with herself. Besides.. She could always talk to Mariana later, when they were both home. So she gathered her courage and walked out to the beach and followed the flow of people going south. </p><p>She knew exactly where to meet him and every step made it feel like the pit in her stomach became more and more consuming. <span>She spotted Liam almost instantly and she saw him smile that familiar complacent smile, when their gazes met. She kept walking towards him, but had to change course, when he walked away from the booth and up to a small patch of trees. She followed him there without slowing down and stopped a few feet away from him.</span></p><p>"What do you want, Liam?" She had had some time to regain her composure and her voice now actually sounded almost dismissive. Her heart was beating hard though and all of her senses were on alert.</p><p>"What I said," he replied and smiled to her with a self confidence that she couldn't match. "I want to talk." He stepped closer to her and she knew better than to back away right now. Even if that was the only thing she wanted to do. "I want to talk about how you destroyed my life and how you can make it up to me." His voice dropped to a low and menacing tone and she had to swallow hard not to show him, how much he scared her saying that.</p><p>"I can't do anything about it now," she tried reasoning with him. "I can promise not to do anything like it again." It wasn't much, but she knew that she had to offer him something, if she were to get out of this.</p><p>He stepped closer again and soon after, she felt his hand around the same wrist that he always had a hold of, when he would try and intimidate her. The problem was that it worked. She <em>was</em> afraid of him and she felt her heart begin to race even harder as she was taken back to the mindset she had had, when she lived with him. "You made me look like a fool!" he growled menacingly. "To my parents. To Sarah. And now yesterday, your two idiot boyfriends thought that they could just pick a fight with me and get away with it! You all need to learn some respect!"</p><p>As his temper flared, Callie felt her courage subside and she felt her body tense up. Even though Liam had never hit her, it was like she steeled herself for a blow. His anger wasn't faked though, she was sure of that. Which made her frightened about what he was going to do to get even. He clearly had something in mind, so she just waited for his point in rigid silence.</p><p>"So here is how this is gonna go. You cost me a girlfriend. So you will have to take her place. And your boyfriends needs to learn their place, so you will drop whichever boyfriend you are seeing at the moment. Fair is fair. This is how it is going to go. And if you even think about telling anybody about this... I will beat Jude to a pulp..." He let the threat hang in the air between them for a few seconds before continuing. "And if I shouldn't be around to do it...? Then I know a guy, who just loooves young boys. He could probably be persuaded to pay Jude a visit... Teach him the stuff that I taught you."</p><p>Fear gripped a tight hold on Callie's chest and she felt like she couldn't breathe. The images Liam had provided invaded her mind and had her shaking like a leaf in his grip. Jude attacked by some unknown monster.. And forced.. Like she had been forced. "No," she whispered and her voice broke, as she felt a tear escape her control and roll down her cheek. "Please... I will.. I will do, what you want..." She had no other choice. He had found her weakness. Or rather - he had always known about it. Up until now, she had just not provoked him enough for him to make use of it. </p><p>She had always known that he was capable of something like this, but the people around her had been too privileged to understand, what a guy could do to destroy the life of someone. They had never understood, just how dangerous Liam was, if you provoked him. A mixture of despair and anger consumed her, as she realized that this time she hadn't done anything to provoke him either. It had been Wyatt. Wyatt and Brandon, who had picked a fight with him, instead of just leaving well enough alone. And now she had to pay for it to keep Jude safe. </p><p>"Good. So give me a kiss." His voice was equal amounts of demanding and seducing as he stepped even closer. He was still holding on tight to her right hand wrist with one hand and now she felt him put his other hand on her neck in half of a choke hold. His thumb moved out onto the bottom of her chin and pushed her face upwards, before he leaned in and pressed his lips hard against hers. More tears ran down her cheeks as her heart broke with the knowledge that she wasn't getting out of this. That she had just agreed to him touching her and kissing her again. That she had to subject herself to his control <em>again</em>. And this time there wasn't much hope for rescue. </p><p>She was sobbing, when she felt his lips move against hers and she was shaking almost violently now. But that didn't seem to stop him. Instead she felt his body push so hard against hers that she had to take a few steps back - and suddenly felt a tree behind her. And as he kept advancing, she felt his body crushing her against the tree trunk. And all the time, she was like a limp doll in his hands. She couldn't fight him. Had no choice but to let him do what he wanted. And the worst part was that the kiss felt familiar. So familiar. Liam had always been aggressive in his intimacy regarding her and at the time she had liked it. At least in the beginning. It had made her feel happy that such a strong and handsome guy was interested in her. Interested in protecting her. But even though his kiss made all of those feelings resurface, she didn't believe that he was interested in protecting her anymore and all she wanted in the world was for this to be over.</p><p>After a few minutes, he was done and Callie felt him pulling back just slightly. She was still pressed up hard against the trunk, but he had moved his face back enough that she could see it. And she sobbed again, as she saw him smiling in that complacent way that almost seemed cruel right now. </p><p>"You are mine, Callie. You always were. You just didn't know it before. It is time for you to come home." She felt his lips against hers again in one hard, forced kiss, before she felt the pressure lighten and her knees gave way under her. Liam had taken a step back and was no longer holding her up, so she slid down the trunk and ended in a heap on the ground - crying and sobbing, while she looked down at her knees instead of up at Liam. </p><p>"I will text you about tomorrow," he said, while Callie slowly got her sobs under control. It sounded like she was hyperventilating and swallowing the sobs down, trying to regain just a bit of her composure. "Keep your phone with you and don't let me wait for a reply."</p><p>And just like earlier that day, Liam just turned around and walked away from her - this time leaving her broken and crying on the ground. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>We got a little further into the story in this one. And we figured out more or less what kind of future Callie will be facing. If you like it so far, please leave a kudo or a comment. :) Or both! :D</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Callie sat at the base of the tree for several minutes, while she tried to regain her composure. She tried her very best to choke back the sobs and keep them under control, but every time she thought about the fact that Liam had just forced himself upon her life, she was right back to desperate wailing. She was so emerged in her own world of misery that it wasn't until a short, middle aged woman stopped and asked her, if she was alright that Callie finally got a little hold on herself. She needed to pull herself together now. People could see her sitting here and she needed none of them to stick their noses in her problems. So she hastily dried her eyes with the hem of her shirt and assured the woman that she was just fine. She had eons of practice with that sentence and the woman bought it this time too. </p><p>Walking home, she didn't pay much attention to her surroundings. It was just enough that she made sure not to be run over by cars when she crossed the streets, but not much more. Her focus was turned internally while she struggled to find a way to deal with this situation. Because she was on her way home and she could not ignore the fact that her foster family was the nosiest bunch of meddlers in the world. If they got even the slightest idea of what was happening with Liam, then someone would tell Stef and then she would go after Liam. Which normally would be a comforting fact, but with Jude's safety hanging in the balance, it was the exact opposite. Stef could never know about Liam. Even if Callie went home now and told her everything, what could she do? They wouldn't be able to protect Jude forever. Just like they couldn't protect <em>her </em>forever. Some day they would have to lower their guard. And Callie had no doubt that this would be exactly what Liam would wait for. He would want her to suffer, if she told anyone about him. </p><p>So she couldn't tell. And she would have to make sure that no one else got any idea off what was going on too. That meant a lot of diversions. She would have to throw out diversions to hide the fact that she was in trouble. And it also meant that she would have to spend a lot of time in her room. The less time she spent with Stef and Lena, the harder it would be for them to discover anything. If she was lucky, then they would probably just think that all of this had something to do with Robert and Sophia. </p><p>----------------------------</p><p>When she finally got home, she had gotten herself so much back together that she didn't feel like she would crack open if someone touched her. She even managed a little smile for Jude, when he told her about his day. It had been a good one for him and that made her extra happy, since that was exactly the reason, why she didn't fight Liam on this. </p><p>"Hi, honey. How did it go at Rita's this afternoon?" Callie looked up from her homework and looked at Stef with a puzzled expression. For the longest moment, she had no idea what Stef was talking about. But then she remembered that she had found Rita's address before going to the Mexican Festival yesterday and had asked Stef for permission to go and see her today. She had wanted to hear, how the work for a reopening of Girls United was going after the fire.</p><p>"Uhm.." Callie scrambled for words for a second. "Well, she wasn't home, so.. I'll try again another day." She send Stef a quick smile and dove back behind her books for cover. Lying to Stef didn't come easy to her. </p><p>After dinner though, she went upstairs, claiming that she would do the last of her homework, even though she was already done. She just couldn't stay downstairs with the others right now. She needed to fall apart just a little, but she hadn't more than just closed the door, before Mariana had followed her inside. One of the drawbacks of sharing a room. Callie bit down on the inside of her cheek and went to sit down on her bed. She drew up her legs and circled her knees with her arms, while she stared at Mariana, who obviously wanted to pick up their conversation from earlier.</p><p>"Hey... I..." Mariana seemed to have a hard time trying to say, what she wanted. She picked nervously on her fingertips with her right hand and she stalled a few times, before she could continue. "I just wanted to talk to you about... Well about yesterday..."</p><p>Callie felt blood rush from her face and she tensed up instantly. She thought that that whole Liam-thing had remained a secret between her, Brandon and Moms. She hadn't counted on anyone else being able to make the connection so easily and it made her panic, as she saw how hard Mariana was searching for the right words. "Wha... What about it?" she tried playing dumb and rubbed her neck slightly - trying to distract her sister from the shock in her voice.</p><p>"It's just.. I saw someone there... Mike actually..." Mariana bit down on her lip as Callie frowned in confusion. Mike? What had he had to do with anything? He hadn't been a part of the fight, had he? "He was with.. Ana... You know my birth mom?" </p><p>Relief surged through Callie, as she understood that this hadn't anything to do with Liam. This was just normal stuff. Or well.. As normal as the Foster house ever was. She even smiled a little, when the shock wore off. "Uhm okay.. What was she doing with Mike?"</p><p>Mariana seemed a little taken aback that Callie smiled instead of being serious, but still continued to tell her about how Ana had been trying to get sober with the help of Mike. And Callie did her very best to participate like she normally would and to ask the right questions. But this day had just been so strange already that she didn't even quite feel like herself and it was hard to keep focus and act like normal.</p><p>Mariana had just dropped the bomb that Ana wanted to meet them to make amends, when Callie heard her phone vibrate against the covers. She looked down and saw the same unfamiliar number that had texted her earlier. Feeling sick to her stomach and also for a second forgetting what Mariana was talking about, she reached out and opened the text. </p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
  <p></p>
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    <p>"How was you afternoon, baby?"</p>
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</div><p>Her ears started ringing and her hands started shaking. She was almost happy that Mariana at that point pulled at her arm and broke her concentration. "Hey..! Did you hear, what I said? Ana wants to meet Jesus and me..." </p><p>Callie swallowed harshly and nodded a little. "Yeah.. That is.. You know..." She snapped her mouth shut - knowing how stupid she sounded. The phone buzzed again and she glanced down.</p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>Remember. Don't keep me waiting, honey.</p>
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</div><p>Callie felt her stomach drop and she looked at Mariana with almost pleading eyes. "I have to go to the bathroom." She felt like she might look half crazed right now, so she didn't look directly at Mariana for more than a second, but just got up and headed towards the door to the bathroom. "I'll be right back, I promise." She tried for a smile, but only managed a grimace, before she slid into the bathroom and shut the door firmly behind her. She quickly locked it and then walked over to the other door and locked that too and then she slid to the floor with her back against the door and already her fingers were dancing on the screen.</p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>It was really crappy. How was yours?</p>
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</div><p>Apparently being snarky in texts was easier than in person and she pressed 'send' with determination.</p><p>As soon as she had sent the text, she regretted it. Yes, she hated Liam and no, she did not want to play his creepy game. But that did not mean that she didn't have to. If she pissed him off too much, she might risk him punishing Jude for her faults. Her heart began to race and she was biting down hard on the inside of her cheek, while she waited for his reply. And nothing happened. He didn't write and he didn't call. After only a few minutes, the anxiety was so overwhelming for her that she was typing again. </p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
  <p></p>
  <div class="indent">
    <p>I'm sorry. I didn't mean it.</p>
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</div><p>She send the text and felt even more horrible than she had just a few seconds ago. She hated herself for having been reduced to this groveling, pathetic mess in a matter of hours. She felt so out of control in all of this and she was normally a girl who grabbed on to any kind of control that she could find. But just the thought of Liam not replying, because she had made him mad, was enough to make her afraid that she might throw up her dinner.</p><p>It took yet another two minutes, and Callie sending another message; </p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>Please give me another chance,</p>
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</div><p>before Liam replied again. </p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>And here I thought that you were such a smart girl. What could you possibly think that you would gain by sending me that?</p>
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</div><p>The reply wasn't a good one, but at least it was a reply and Callie was already tapping away at her screen again. </p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>I know. I am sorry... Please.. I won't do it again.</p>
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</div><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>Alright. But you just earned yourself a trip outside tonight. You will have to sneak out to meet me. 12.30. At the park down the street from your house.</p>
  </div>
</div><p>His reply made her softly dunk her head back against the door behind her. "Stupid, stupid, stupid," she mumbled to herself - careful not to make so much noise that anyone would hear. She felt the tears pooling in her eyes again. She had counted on having the evening to herself. That she wouldn't have to see Liam again until the next day. And now that was ruined, just because she couldn't keep her figurative mouth shut!</p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>Okay. I will be there.</p>
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</div><p>She typed with slow thumbs and sniffled just a little, as she pressed send.</p><p></p><div class="font-monospace">
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    <p>Good. See you later. Dress sexy for me.</p>
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</div>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>A bit of an in between chapter from the Liam storyline, but I hope you like it anyway.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>It took Callie several minutes to recollect herself, while sitting on the floor of the teens' bathroom. She felt completely gut wrenched and had a hard time breathing through the pain. She knew better than to taunt Liam, but at that moment, she just couldn't help herself. She wanted him out of her life so badly that she felt the need to lash out. But she would have to work to control that impulse better in the future. Because now she would have to break curfew and sneak out tonight.</p><p>She hadn't really broken any house rules, since she got back from Girls United and she honestly didn't feel right, having to do it now. Besides... She didn't like the fact that he had asked her to dress sexy. It suggested something that she couldn't even think about and she had no idea, if she would be able to handle this. How she should try to control this. Maybe there just <em>wasn't </em>any way to control it. </p><p>She didn't cry this time though. Not really. It burned a little in the corners of her eyes and she needed to sniff a few times to stop her running nose, but otherwise she was fine. That at least felt like a small victory.</p><p>Eventually she got up from the floor and unlocked the doors, before returning to her room, to finish her conversation with Mariana. Except that Mariana wasn't there anymore. A bit puzzled, Callie looked out into the hallway, but didn't see her there either and with a shrug, she returned to her room and closed the door. She actually didn't mind that she was alone right now. She still had to figure out what kind of clothes could be deemed sexy, while still being as concealing as possible, so that she would feel alright wearing it. Not having an audience for that was nice.</p><p>She had found a few outfits that could work, when she heard the door open behind her and she spun around - looking startled. But since it was just Jude, she relaxed a little and tried on a smile. "Hey buddy. What's up?" She was proud of herself for sounding almost normal.</p><p>"Mariana said that she thought, you might be sick," he explained and walked over to the bed, where her three outfits were laid out. "What are you doing?" </p><p>She bit the inside of her cheek for a second before she shrugged and smiled at him again. "Nothing. Just looking through some stuff. And I am okay. Don't worry about me." She nuzzled his hair for a second and sat down on the bed, while pushing her outfits into a single pile beside her - making room for Jude and hopefully masking the fact that these outfits were a bit different than what she normally wore. </p><p>He sad down beside her and looked at her with that knowing eye that he usually turned on her, when he could feel, she was hiding something. "Did something happen at school today? Was Talya giving you a hard time again?"</p><p>It had been some time, since she had had any real trouble with Talya, but it was a welcome excuse and she took it gladly. "It was nothing. She just said some things.. No more than her usual poison." She sent him another smile and this time was glad that she didn't have to work so hard on hiding her sadness. But it was probably a better idea to divert his attention. "So how are things with Connor? Has his dad changed his mind?"</p><p>The only answer she got was a slow shrug before Jude then shook his head. "I don't think he will either. Connor wants us to stay friends and just keep it a secret from his dad. But I don't want to be someone's secret."</p><p>The statement ran close enough to home that Callie felt a twinge in her gut. "I know, bub. And I think it is a really wise decision. If Connor can't see what a great friend he has in you, then he doesn't deserve you." She smiled a bit more sincerely and scooted in closer to Jude, so that she could put her arms around him. "You are the most amazing person in the world, Jude. You will always be the most important person in my life."</p><p>Her emotions were in acute danger of running out of control, so she just planted a kiss in his brown hair and hugged him tight for another moment, before letting him go. "Shouldn't you be getting ready for bed?"</p><p>"Yeah..." He stood and walked to the door, before he turned and looked back at her. "You would tell me, if there is something more than Talya making you sad, right?"</p><p>
  <em>When did he become so perceptive?</em>
</p><p>"Of course I would," she said and hid the lie with another smile. There was nothing in the world she would hate more than to have to unload too much of her baggage onto his tiny shoulders. There were some things that she would only speak with him about. Like when she missed their mom or the time she thought she had seen Liam during a panic attack. For the longest time, Jude had been her only confidant, when it came to Liam. But this... This was not something she could tell him. "Now go to bed."</p><p>Hours later, Callie was lying awake in her bed for the second night in a row. She knew that she probably should have tried to sleep, but since she was pretty sure that it would be a wasted effort anyway and since she was afraid that her alarm would wake Mariana, she had decided against it and just stayed awake. The only trouble with that plan was that she had had a really long time to get herself worked up and nervous about what she would have to do soon. And all the regrets she already had for the day piled on heavy on her conscience.</p><p>Mariana hadn't spoken to her at all, when she went to bed and Callie had had to realize that she might have hurt her foster sister by not showing enough interest in her news. Hopefully she would get a chance to make up for that in the morning. Mariana was usually easy to soften again, if she had offended her. She would just have to show a bit of genuine interest in her and maybe apologize and Callie resolved that that was exactly what she would do after school tomorrow.</p><p>She glanced at the clock again and felt the lump in her throat thicken. It was 12.05 now and she couldn't postpone it any longer, if she wanted to be there on time. As quietly as possible, she slid out of her bed, grabbed the outfit she had chosen and snuck into the bathroom. Quickly and quietly she got dressed in front of the mirror. <em>Dress sexy</em> he had said, whatever that meant. And although she had looked at a few dresses, she just couldn't make herself wear them. She needed something with legs to protect herself. Or at the very least a crotch. So she had opted in for her short denim shorts and a generic tank top. She had no idea, if that was actually sexy, but she could pass it off as if she had tried and that was good enough for her. </p><p>She left her hair down and just brushed it a few times, before she turned off the light and as carefully as possible snuck downstairs. Fortunately Stef and Lena had gone to bed a few hours ago and were hopefully fast asleep by now. She got to the front door without incident and stuck her feet in a pair of sneakers and then finally got outside and closed the door silently behind her. </p><p>What she didn't notice was the small figure standing at the top of the stairs - looking after her as she hurried away.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>The next part will be all Liam, I promise.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Callie arrived at the park a few minutes early. She had walked nice and slow from Stef and Lena's house - doing her best not to cause any attention. But she hadn't liked it. Being out this late, alone. She didn't feel safe. But on the other hand, there could be other reasons for that. </p><p>When she entered the park, she stuck her hand in her pocket and drew out her phone, but there were no texts from Liam. Nervously she walked back and forth in a little circle - her head whipping around to identify the smallest sound and her arms gathered protectively in front of her chest, while she chewed on one of her thumb nails. Right now she couldn't really breathe right and she fought to keep her panic down, where she could control it.  </p><p>She glanced at her phone again, but still didn't see anything except the time that now showed 12.32. A branch snapped behind her and she turned around so fast that she almost lost her footing, while her heart went into overdrive and her eyes became big in the dark. She heard a familiar laugh, but instead of it soothing her rattled nerves, it made her symptoms worse. She tried to stifle them, as she watched Liam walk towards her from between some nearby trees. </p><p>"Hi Callie. I've been looking forward to this." His voice was low and serious and she couldn't help but back away. Just half a step, but it was enough to betray her lack of confidence. </p><p>"What do you want, Liam?" she asked through greeted teeth and tried to keep eye contact without betraying her fear. "Why meet a place like this in the middle of the night?"</p><p>She heard him chuckle, as he walked closer still. "Because it is quiet and we won't be disturbed. I'm sure that people from all over the neighborhood has used this place as a meeting point with their significant other." He was still walking closer, but now she stood her ground. She didn't want to give him any more reason to think her frightened. </p><p>"Alright. So you want to kiss me? Kiss me..! It won't prove anything. You know why I do it." She knew it had been a stupid remark the second she had made it, but it was too late to take back now. So she gritted her teeth even more and stuck out her chin defensively.</p><p>"Hey!" Liam stepped the last step towards her and she felt his strong hand take a choke hold on her throat. "While I might find your little commentary amusing at times, I would dial it back just at notch." He had stepped in close and was towering over her, while his other hand grabbed a fistful of her hair and she felt a persistent pull, forcing her to turn her face up towards his. "Otherwise you might not get the nice surprise that I brought for you." His dominance was overwhelming and since she couldn't exactly fight back, she felt no urge to do anything at all. She just stood there.. And took it... While he took whatever he wanted from her. </p><p>He must had seen something in her face, because she spotted a short glimpse of his complacent smile, before she felt him lean even further in and she had the dubious pleasure of feeling his tongue possessively lick her face from the jaw bone and all the way up to the corner of her eye, where it dwelled long enough to make her aware that she apparently was crying again. Then he pulled back a little and bit down gently - almost playfully - on her upper lip. "My Callie..." </p><p>The whispered words made her feel a new kind of fear. A fear that he was looking for more than to degrade and intimidate her for a while. "Liam..." It was a soft plea - almost intimate - as they were standing with their faces so close together. "Please don't hurt me." She felt tears falling uncontrollable from the corners of her eyes again and she had no strength to stop them. </p><p>A flicker of something unreadable flashed over his face, but it was gone in an instant. "Trying to manipulate me, baby?" His words as well of his face turned hard now. "Don't forget that I have the upper hand here. And right now, we are going to have some fun. Just like old times."</p><p>She yelped in fright, as she felt him taking a strong hold of her upper arm and pushed her towards the nearby benches and table. </p><p>"Liam... Liam please..." Callie's mind was so filled with panic now that she had no control over her own reactions. He had said 'just like old times' and she was pretty sure, what he meant by that. "Liam, what are you doing?!"</p><p>They had reached the table and without pause, he forced her face down, until her upper body was laying on the cold surface with the feel of Liam's determined body against her legs and butt. </p><p>"What are you going to do??" She could feel his hand on the back of her neck, holding her down and she instinctively brought up her own hands to try and fight his hold. She was very frightened at the prospect of what he was going to do and she couldn't just lay down and take it. But even though she used both all her strength and her nails were digging into his fingers, he didn't let go. Images from that night, when he had held her down in her bed and forced her to have sex with him, flashed through her mind again and again.</p><p>"Exactly what a good boyfriend does," he taunted behind her and she felt his fingers grab a hold in the hem of her shorts and panties, before pulling them down and exposing her to the night. "Keeping his girlfriend sexually satisfied."</p><p>Something broke inside of her in that second and she stopped fighting and started pleading. She didn't know why - wasn't even sure that a 'why' had anything to do with it - but maybe her body just knew that Liam was more likely to force her, if she was fighting back. </p><p>"No... No, please Liam... Liam, please don't do this..." Once again he had reduced her to a pile of desperate sobs after having stripped her of every trace of control and she had trouble even breathing through the panic. How could this be happening again? How would she survive, if this happened <em>again</em>?!</p><p>"Shut up, Callie! This was part of the deal and you had to know that, when you took it. So just shut up and take it...!" She heard him unzipping his jeans and in a second of clarity, she realized, what she needed to say.</p><p>"Please no, Liam.. I won't be able to hide this!" She tried to look back at him, but the tears had completely destroyed her vision and she sniffed in hard before continuing in her urgent tone. "If you do this, then it will destroy me.. I can't do this again... I will <em>never</em> be able to hide <em>this </em>from Stef and Lena..!" </p><p>She could feel his hold on her neck loosen ever so slightly. It spoke volumes about his indecision. "Please Liam. If you do this, then this will be over tonight.. If you don't... It ca..." She swallowed hard when her voice broke and pressed on. "It can last for months. Maybe longer... Please Liam..."</p><p>He still hadn't replied, but after a while, she felt him loosening his hold on her neck and she heard him take a step back. </p><p>With shaking fingers, she reached back and pulled her panties and shorts in place, before she got onto her feet again, holding tightly on to the table for support. She sniffed hard a few times more and used the back of her hand to wipe away her tears, while she tried to pull herself together. It wasn't easy, but she managed to turn around and face him - still leaning most of her weight against the table to make sure that she wouldn't fall to the ground. </p><p>"Thank you," she managed to whisper, as she looked at him. He looked equally confused and irritated at the turn of events and she felt a moment of empathy, as she looked at him. With knees shaking worse than ever, she managed to take the two steps over to him, tug herself against his chest and raise herself up on her tip toes to kiss him. Show him gratitude for listening to her. "Thank you," she whispered again and as he put his arms around her and held her tight while kissing her, she was again reminded of the time that she had been in love with Liam. "Thank you..."</p><p>She was genuinely grateful that he had decided not to rape her. But it didn't make it any easier to like kissing him. Especially, when he was this aggressive. His lips were crushing down on hers and his hand was in her hair, holding her close, as his lips assaulted her again and again. But she didn't try to fight it. This, she could handle. At least she would have to.  She even tried her best to kiss him back. To make him see that she would try to make him happy, even if he didn't get to rape her whenever he wanted. It was a tall order and she wasn't sure that she could deliver on it. But she would have to try.</p><p>When she again felt him pushing her back, she followed him without fighting him and moments later, she was sitting on that same park table, she had just been bend in over. He had forced her knees apart and was standing between her legs, while his lips still danced with hers. His hand left her hair, but she didn't pull away. She had to make him at least a little happy, or there was no telling, what he would do. So she placed her arms around his neck and used them to make sure that she wouldn't be able to pull back from their kiss like she wanted to. </p><p>At the same time, she felt his hands wander down her back and over her sides, before they found a way under the hem of her shirt and she felt them laying warmly against her waist. It made her shudder slightly and she yelped, when she suddenly felt him grab on tight and pull her close against his strong body. He broke off their kiss then and instead moved his lips to her ear. "Don't worry... I will still get my money's worth out of this situation. We will just have to get a little more.. Creative..." She shuddered in his grip again, when she felt his warm breath in her ear and she felt an unexpected and humiliating heat roll through her body.</p><p>He stood like that for a long moment, just breathing into her ear, before she heard him sigh slightly. "We will have to continue this tomorrow, I think. When is your last class over?" He moved a bit away from her and she swallowed hard as the realization of what had just happened hit her. Hard. </p><p>"Same time," she replied timidly and swallowed again, trying to swallow down her insecurities. </p><p>"Then come down to the bike rental booth like today. We will be going for a drive, so make sure that you are free." He stepped back in close and took another kiss from her lips. He moved a few steps away and was obviously going to leave her now, when he turned around and looked at her again. "And Callie? Dress sexy." Then he was gone in the night, while Callie tried to collect herself.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really hope, you all liked it! If you did, I would still love both kudos and comments. &lt;3</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>As soon as he left, Callie wanted to get the hell out of that park and go home. To her own room and her own bed. She wanted to hide beneath the covers and cry. And then she wanted to sleep. She felt completely exhausted after this long day and all she wanted was to go home. But she couldn't really get her head together to actually get up and go. Instead she ended up sitting on the table for a while and just looking out into the night, while she cried silently and all of her wants and needs seeped out of her.</p><p>It felt like pieces of her were strewn about the entire space around her and she was afraid to leave anything behind, when she left. Liam might not have raped her, but it had come close enough and it dug up some harsh memories. And of course now she was sure that he wanted to and that he still might, if she gave him a reason. That wasn't a comforting thought either.</p><p>Eventually she drew in a deep breath and got up and started to walk home. Even though it didn't feel too important, she knew that she needed to get some sleep. And to sleep, she would have to get herself home.</p><p>She was still really drained, when she got close enough to be able to see Stef and Lena's house, but she still felt a jolt of fear, when she saw someone standing outside, waiting. She swallowed hard and tried to get a grip, when she recognized Jude in the moonlight. She walked up to him, while she made sure that she wasn't crying anymore and that her throat was cleared. He would probably be worried anyway, but there was no reason to let him see her breaking down. </p><p>"Jude? What are you doing out this late? You should be in bed." She knew what he would reply to her hushed question, but it was so second nature to her to worry about him that she couldn't help asking it.</p><p>"So should you," the obvious answer called quietly toward her. "I heard you sneak out. Where have you been?" There was a beat of silence and she could see on his face that he had gotten a real look at her in the dark. "What happened?"</p><p>She tried to think fast. "Nothing," she shook her head and tried to smile a little. "I just went to see Wyatt. I needed to talk to him about something." She decided to play it off, as if Wyatt and her had just ended things. In reality they probably had and that would give her family a reason to blame, if they saw her upset or crying. "We... We broke up. For good this time."</p><p>She felt her eyes tear up from lying to him and she allowed it to reinforce the lie. She could see it working on his face. </p><p>"I'm sorry," he said after a moment - looking at her with that familiar, almost wise, gaze. </p><p>"Don't worry about it," she said and put an arm around his shoulders. "I'll be okay. It just might take a while." She kissed his hair and held him close for a few seconds, before she broke off the hug and gently pushed him towards the stairs. "But we have to be quiet, sneaking back in. Stef and Lena are gonna freak, if they realize we aren't in bed right now."</p><p>----------------------</p><p>She was still tired, when Lena woke her up the next day and she got ready solely on routine. She didn't really think about anything, but just put on the first thing she came across in her closet and drew her hair back in a loose ponytail before heading downstairs to get some breakfast. She came down just in time to hear Stef giving out orders. </p><p>"So that is why, we want everybody to help out Mama in the yard after school. If everybody helps, it won't take long, okay?"</p><p>Mumbled 'okays' came from across the kitchen and Callie could practically hear, how Mariana's eyes were rolling, but Callie could hardly breathe as she walked up next to Stef. "Uhm Stef? I-uh.. I kind of have already made plans this afternoon..." She was thinking fast, as she saw Stef's eyes on her. "I have been trying to reach Rita and.. Well I just really need to see her."</p><p>A soft expression settled in on the blonde woman's face and her smile was warm, as she put her hand on Callie's cheek in endearment. "I get it, hun... I really do. But you have already been at Rita's door twice now and she hasn't been home. Maybe she just needs a little time. And in the meantime Mama needs you here." She sent Callie an encouraging smile. "Tell you what... I have an early shift tomorrow, so when I get home, I will take you there myself, okay? Save you the trouble of the bus."</p><p>Callie felt her heart sink and she nodded solemnly before turning away and walking to the fridge. She couldn't look at anyone right now, so she pretended to be looking for a bottle of water, while she tried to regain her composure. One way or another this day was gonna blow up in her face and she couldn't see any way around it.</p><p>------------------------</p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>Hey... Can we maybe reschedule our meet up? Stef and Lena wants me home right after school.</p></div></div><p>She was careful not to write 'my moms' or 'my family' in her text. She had a feeling that Liam wouldn't like hearing, how close she had gotten to the Fosters the last six months. And she definitely didn't need him to know that she had more than one person in her life that he could hurt her through.</p><p>Her hopes of this working though were close to zero, but she had to try. It was what she had decided during the day. If push came to shove, she would have to go with Liam for Jude's safety, but if there was a chance that she could make ends meet, then she would have to try it. </p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>Hey babe. No, we can't reschedule. We have plans. And after last night, you really don't want to disappoint.</p></div></div><p>The message ticked in a few minutes later and the pit in Callie's stomach got a few pounds heavier. She knew that she would get in trouble for this and the thought of all the trouble she would get into because of Liam suddenly cast a looming cloud over her future. This wouldn't be the last time. She was sure of it. Had she been caught last night, she would already be in trouble now. But she would just have to figure out a way to juggle it all. It wasn't like Liam had given her any choice in the matter. </p><p>The bell rung and Callie packed her backpack and left the building, heading towards the beach. </p><p>"Aren't you coming home? You know we have to help Mama after school." Callie turned around at the sound of Brandon's voice and she smiled at him. </p><p>"Yeah, I'll be right there. I just have to talk with a few of the girls from class about an assignment. I will be home soon." </p><p>She hated lying to her family and Brandon was absolutely at the top of the list of people that she hated lying to, but she also knew that if she didn't, then he would demand to know, where she was going. And he might even follow her and discover the whole thing with Liam. She couldn't risk that, even if it made her feel rotten.</p><p>"Alright. See you in a few then." He waved at her and she waved back as he walked away. </p><p>She turned her back on the school and hurried down the beach to the bike rental booth. She couldn't see him at first, so she looked in the direction of the trees, he had led her to the day before and her eyes found a familiar green Jeep. The top was down, but she would have recognized it, even if Liam hadn't been sitting in the drivers seat. It looked like he had meant it, when he had said that they were taking a drive.</p><p>Reluctantly she changed her course and watched as Liam leaned over the passenger seat and opened the door for her. She got in and closed it behind her. </p><p>"I knew you were a smart girl," he said, as he started the jeep, backed out of the booth and quickly had them on the road, heading east.</p><p>"Where are we going?" she asked, trying her best to look at ease in his company. She had already shown so much fear around him that she needed to bring a bit of balance into the relationship. </p><p>"To the reservation up Kumeyaay Highway," he replied and Callie felt the knots in her stomach tighten.</p><p>"Why?"</p><p>"Because I like the woods. It's nice and secluded even during the day." </p><p>The smile he sent her wasn't at all reassuring, but she decided not to react. Instead she reached into her pocket and got out her phone.</p><p>"What are you doing?" His tone was wary and he looked like he was debating taking the phone from her hands. </p><p>"I need to turn it off," she said and felt like the biggest traitor in the world. "Stef and Lena had me install a phone finder app after I moved back into the house." It had been one of the conditions of her getting to come home. Because she had been a flight risk at the time. She had spend the last couple of months trying to regain their trust and she actually was pretty sure that she had gotten it... And now she was about to flush it down the drain again. She pressed the power button and hit yes on the display and watched with sadness, as the screen turned black.</p><p>Liam didn't react, but just kept driving. And she didn't say anything either, but was content with just sitting in her own seat and looking out the window as the buildings flew by. There were a lot of things to be afraid of, but one of them was definitely, why Liam wanted to drive her that far out of town to a remote location. She was pretty sure that he wouldn't try to rape her again - at least not today - but the fear was still there. And even if that wasn't the case, what did he have in mind then?</p><p>The number of buildings went down steadily, as Liam turned onto the highway. She could soon see the reserve in the distance and all too soon, he drove onto a small dirt road and followed it for a while. It was at that time that he finally broke the silence between them.</p><p>"So.. When I ask you to dress sexy.. This is what you show up in..?"</p><p>Surprised, Callie looked at him for a second before looking down at herself. She had completely forgotten about that over the lack of sleep. She wore a pair of tight fitting jeans and a thin, almost baggy, sweater. And neither could be classified as even remotely sexy.</p><p>"Sorry," she croaked silently. "I forgot."</p><p>"Not good enough," he replied and turned off the road onto an even smaller one. He continued to drive for a few seconds and then stopped and stalled the engine. "You are gonna have to make it up to me." He opened his own door and got out, before tipping the front seat. "Get in the back, Callie." </p><p>She had no choice but to comply.</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Callie closed the door behind her and sat down in the back seat of the Wrangler. Reluctantly she turned her face towards Liam, who was sitting next to her. He looked way too happy with the situation and Callie felt her heart starting to beat hard in her chest. She had expected something like this. Had expected him to demand things from her that could be done in the backseat of a car. But expecting and experiencing were two completely different things. </p><p>"Alright. Since you didn't dress sexy like I asked you, I want you to take off your pants." Liam's voice was confident and almost smug, as his eyes rested on her to see her reaction. There was a beat of silence, as Callie's body seemed to turn momentarily into ice and she couldn't move. Her eyes darted around the area and although she saw only trees and forest, this felt all too public for her. Especially because he had taken the top of the Wrangler off. </p><p>"Now, please. It will go a long way to making up for not dressing sexy." His tone was both amused and annoyed now and Callie had a feeling that he probably wouldn't ask again. So she willed her arms to move. She fought to open the button in her jeans with her numb fingers and then unzipped them. With shaking hands, she slid the hem down over her hips and exposing her black hot pants panties in the process. Slowly the pants reached the floor of the car and she had to remove her shoes to get them all the way off. Humiliation washed through her, now that she could feel the fabric of the seats directly against her thighs and she felt almost more exposed than she had done the night before, when he had pulled down her pants. At that time he had held her down and forced her. And even if she knew somehow that this was being done with just as much force, it still felt different. It felt like she was agreeing to this.</p><p>"That's good," she heard him say through the rushing sound of blood in her ears. "Now come here."</p><p>She looked at him with caution - afraid of what he would do to her now - and saw that he was clapping his thigh. "Come sit here with me. Actually, why don't you straddle me? That will make for a nice and intimate moment." </p><p>His smile had that complacent feel to it again and Callie had to swallow hard, while she fought the urge to make a run for it. Every bone in her body wanted to run, but she knew that it would do her no good. If she ran, then she would be putting Jude in danger. Running was not an option. She would have to do this. She would have to learn how to survive this. She tried to convince herself that this wasn't the worst thing that could happen. She was not naked and Liam was still completely dressed. Next time she would dress sexy and he would have no reason to undress her either. All she had to do was get through this moment. </p><p>It took her several minutes, before she had swallowed down her feelings enough that she could move. Liam hadn't moved or spoken again in that time, but she had a feeling, he might be enjoying her fear. Liam had a thing with fear. And it was that thought that finally got her moving. With slow movements and a tight hold of her inner cheek with her teeth, she placed her bare knee on the seat beside Liam and then parted her legs to make room for him and straddled him, placing her knee on the other side of him. She couldn't look at him, while she did this though, so the whole time, she was looking down between them. This felt horribly wrong. And horribly intimate at the same time. She had only a thin piece of fabric between herself and Liam and it sent adrenaline coursing through her body.</p><p>"Good," she heard him say, but she was still refusing to look at him. It was probably a sort of denial. If she didn't look at him, then she could pretend like it wasn't really happening. </p><p>"Now... Give me your hand." She felt him moving a bit and reaching behind the seat they were sitting on. Then she heard a sound of metal moving against metal and without having any say in the matter, her head whipped up so that she could see, what it was. </p><p>And her heart stopped.</p><p>"No.. Liam, please. I.. I won't run, I swear." The sight of the chain he pulled from behind his seat with the pair of handcuffs at the end, brought tears to her eyes. She was already feeling so helpless in this situation and the sight of the handcuffs made her feel that even more.</p><p>"I don't care," was the hard reply and she had to fight hard to stop crying. "Give. Me. Your. Hand." He held up his hand, while he had to stretch awkwardly to hold on to the cuffs as well. Reluctantly she placed her hand in his and he cuffed it without much fuss. The feel of the cold metal closing around her wrist brought new tears to her eyes. </p><p>He had to move around a bit in the tight space to get her other hand cuffed, but eventually she felt the metal ring circling her other wrist as well and Liam let go of the chain. He had cuffed her with an arm on either side of his neck, so that she couldn't move away from the embrace he had forced her into. As she tugged slightly on the chain, she realized that it wasn't all that long and that he had secured it somewhere behind the seat so that she couldn't pull her arms back. When she tried to move back as much as she could, it was only just enough that her elbows moved out in front of his face.</p><p>"Now <em>that</em> is what I call an available girl," he said and his words made her cringe in embarrassment. She felt like a slut for sitting with him like this, even if it wasn't voluntary. "But the sweater isn't really doing anything good for your body either, is it?"</p><p>At those words, Callie froze up again and then she started shaking slightly. "No more..." she begged brokenly and shook her head a little. "Can't this be enough?" Tears ran silently down her cheeks as she felt the helplessness quietly breaking her down. She had already spread her legs for him and allowed him to cuff her and she wasn't sure that she could take any more. The amount of threats she had endured to get her in that position didn't really seem to matter to her humiliation. And what made it worse now, was that right now she couldn't even physically fight him off, if she needed to. She felt completely at his mercy.</p><p>"Don't worry, baby. It will all soon be better. And if you had dressed sexy like I asked you to, you wouldn't have had to endure this." </p><p>She silently berated herself, as she felt him taking a hold in the hem of her sweater. Because he was right. If she had dressed sexy, then he probably wouldn't have felt the need to undress her like this. Now he just had to, because she had disobeyed him and he felt like he had to show her, who was in charge. How could she have been so stupid?!</p><p>Futilely she tugged on the chain, but there was no real effort in her attempt. She knew that she couldn't stop him. She just couldn't help trying anyway. Tears were turning into broken sobs, when she felt him pulling the front of her sweater up and exposing her bra right in front of his eyes. Just seconds later, he had pulled the front of her sweater up and over her head, so that it rested at her neck and left her chest and belly naked. </p><p>"Much better," she heard him say, as she hid her face at her elbow and cried.</p><p>"Oh don't worry babe. It's not the first time, I have seen you like this, remember? Although I have to admit that you have grown in more ways than one."</p><p>She felt his hands cup her breasts and the fear stopped her sobs, if not her tears, as she wondered, what he would do now. Shortly after, he moved his hands down and started stroking her sides. Up and down with gentle hands. Then they moved down to the side of her thighs and did the same. Oddly enough it was sort of soothing and that thought frightened her more than she could say. She had expected him to assault her in some way - more than he already had - now that she was at his mercy like this. She couldn't understand what was going on and she didn't like it. </p><p>"What... What are you doing?" she asked, when she couldn't hold it in any longer.</p><p>"I am getting your body used to feeling my hands again," was the surprising answer and Callie felt an odd mixture of comfort and fear. Fear, because he could make her even <em>feel </em>comfort in this situation. It made her wary of what other things he might be able to make her feel. </p><p>"So why don't you try to relax and enjoy it?" His suggestion made her move back from him as much as she could, but since it wasn't much, it was a wasted effort. And it also opened her up for him to look into her eyes and see her feelings, which were plain on her face. His reply was a complacent smile, which shook her much deeper than the fear, she had felt up until now.</p><p>"Okay. Why don't we do it like this...?" She felt him put a hand at the back of her neck and he pushed her forward with it. "Rest your head here," he said, as he placed her face at the base of his neck. He kept his hand a her neck so that she couldn't move away and her breathing was heavy and deep. "Try to relax. And while we are at it, you can distract yourself by telling me, about all the things that are going on in your life." He was still holding her neck and could probably feel, how her body tensed up again. "Oh calm down. You know that I will find out sooner or later and it is probably better, if you tell me yourself. I want to know <em>everything</em> about your life. Who your friends are and what is happening with them." Callie swallowed hard and was suddenly happy that she could hide her closed eyes against his body. She couldn't have endured eye contact right now.</p><p>"I want you to tell me all of it. <em>All of it</em>, Callie. If I find out later that you have been lying or that you deliberately have kept something from me, then there will be hell to pay. And not just for you either. Do you understand?" The threat was obvious even in his calm voice and she swallowed hard again. Then she nodded. There were few things she wanted less than for Liam to know everything about her life. But the whole situation was so surreal already that she couldn't see a way out of it. He had already shown, what he was willing to do, even when she complied. And she was scared of what would happen, if she openly defied him. But at the same time, there were things, she wasn't ready to share. Brandon... That was one thing, she would have to hide. And the love for her new family. Right now he only targeted Jude, because he knew how much Jude meant to her. The thought of the ways he could hurt Mariana if he wanted, made her shudder. And he would most certainly use that against her, if she let him know, how much she cared. </p><p>So she would have to find a way to keep her private things private and still let him think, she had told him everything. That would be hard to do. Especially to think clearly, while he was still touching her like this. Right now his free hand was stroking along her back.</p><p>"So... Talk." Liam's voice was calm but demanding and Callie pulled in a breath and started to talk.</p>
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<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"I don't... I don't really have any friends at school." Callie's voice shook with emotions of almost every kind, as she started to dissect her life for Liam's amusement. "I know a few people, but I.. I made a bit of a bad impression in the beginning and it is still haunting me a little." 'A little' was actually a huge understatement, but she was so used to downplaying it, when she spoke to people that it took her a moment to realize, what she had said. But he had demanded complete honesty... And she would have to pretend to give it to him. So she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued. "A lot actually.. People either think that I am weird or that I hang with a bad crowd..."</p><p>Liam was still stroking her back with his hands and Callie did her best to ignore it. She didn't really want to get used to the feel of his hands again, but the worst thing was that it already felt like she was. So she threw herself into a tale of her boring life in the hopes that she could distract both herself and Liam at the same time. </p><p>"... Which I guess, I am... Or.. Was.. At least..." She had a hard time talking normally. Most likely because it wasn't a normal situation and because she normally did everything she could to avoid talking about herself. It was like every sentence came out in staccato and words got cut off, no matter how hard she tried.</p><p>One of his hands moved down and cupped her right buttock for a moment and she jolted involuntarily. Her entire body was tense, until he gave it a slight squeeze and moved the hand away again. She had been momentarily too distracted to talk, but now she continued. "I.. I ran away a few months ago... So I was placed in a group home... Girls United.. And..." Liam's hands moved up along her sides and she felt him pressing her against his body slightly. </p><p>"Why did you run away?" he asked, before she could continue on her own. His hands moved around to stroke her back and Callie had to work hard to think around the feeling. This was one of the secrets, she would have to find a way to hide from him. This was about Brandon. And there was no way that she was going to tell him that she had left, because Jude had seen them kiss and had gotten scared that she might get them both thrown out of a good foster home.</p><p>"I didn't like being there. I.. I don't get on well with my foster sister. But Jude.. He loves it there. I-I thought that they might throw us both back in the system, because I couldn't settle in. I.. I did it for Jude." It was almost the truth. Hopefully it was enough truth to make it believable. She held her breath, but he didn't say anymore. She just felt his hands move in front of her and cup her breasts. And she knew that she should be feeling disgusted and try to fight him on it. But in this moment, all she felt was relief that he had accepted the story. And she was much to busy thinking, to react to the slight squeeze she felt next too. </p><p>"Anyway... Going to Girls United.. It was really good for me.. I met some girls there that have become friends..." She drew in a deep breath and flinched involuntarily, as she felt a hand trail down her spine. It tickled and she blushed against his collar. "But.. But it burned down... Last week... In an accident... So now they have no where to stay." His hands had moved down over her back and along her thighs to her knees. She felt his fingers squeeze themselves in between her calf and thigh and then he used that hold to pull her even closer to him. He even opened up her legs more and now she felt his body hard up against her. She didn't try to fight him though. What could she really do, if she actually fought him off? Besides, she needed to think.</p><p>"Rita.. That's the woman who runs Girls United.. She has been having trouble with the community in the area... People don't really want a group home for juvie girls as their neighbors. She has been having a real hard time finding a new place for them to stay." It was going better now. Here was a place that she could be honest without being careful and she did her very best for Liam to feel like she was opening completely up to him. She almost didn't even feel him, as he put his hands on her butt again. Not until he squeezed the lower part - right where it was connected to her thighs. She couldn't help jolting a bit at that, which made her almost grind against him and she blushed deeply again. He had found another spot where she was almost ticklish. </p><p>She tried to think of something else to say and her thoughts fell on Wyatt. Maybe just because, he was the only other person she had ever been this intimate with and she grabbed for the train of thought as if it was a life line. "I haven't seen Wyatt since the festival," she admitted, because it was the first thing she could think of saying. </p><p>She tensed up a bit, as she felt one of his hands run up along her back and she felt his fingers tangle themselves into her hair. But he didn't pull at it, as she had expected. Instead he started to just run his fingers through it soothingly. "You broke up with him on the phone? Damn, that's cold Callie." To her surprise, his tone wasn't judgmental at all and he almost seemed like he thought it was funny.</p><p>Callie didn't think it was funny though. She wouldn't do something like that and she was slightly offended that he would think that. "Of course not," she said and felt the urge to bite him - only because that was the only way she could hurt him right now. She kept the urge at arms length though. She wouldn't win anything by doing that. "I would never do that."</p><p>"Then why?" was the calm response. </p><p>"Because... Honestly, it was because he fought with you at the festival. We haven't spoken since..." To her surprise, she actually felt Liam tense up a bit at that thought and suddenly her head was filled with speculations as to why. </p><p>"You didn't like that he fought with me?" His tone seemed almost carefully casual.</p><p>"I don't like fighting, period," she admitted and realized that Liam wasn't moving his hands right now. He seemed too preoccupied with something else. It made her tense as well and she didn't quite know, what to expect. She knew, how the confident Liam would react to things... But this other side of him was unpredictable to her and she couldn't say that she liked it. </p><p>It took a few long moments for Liam to think through, whatever he was thinking about. But eventually his hand started stroking up and down her back again and he spoke. "So how much have you tried with Wyatt?"</p><p><em>That</em> question shifted the mood in the car radically and where Callie had been speculative and thoughtful a moment ago, she was humiliated and nervous now. "What do you mean?" she asked, even if she already knew, what he meant. She needed a moment to gather herself, before she could tell him about this. </p><p>She felt him turn his head and then she felt his hot breath against her ear, as he spoke again. "I mean, how much have you done <em>sexually</em>... Has he touched you, like I am touching you know? Have you sucked his dick? Have you <em>slept </em>with him?"</p><p>The questions seemed important to him, because she could feel his hold on her tighten. As if he was actually afraid of her running away from answering the question. Even if that wasn't possible. He had made sure of that. Callie felt really uneasy though and she squirmed a bit in his hands, while she tried to gather the courage to tell him about such intimate details of her life. </p><p>"Tell me, Callie. I want to know." He still had one hand in her hair, but know she felt his other hand moving down her spine and over her butt. Then it moved around her buttock and she tensed up completely, when she felt his fingers tracing along the hem in her panties - flirting with the possibility of touching her <em>there</em>. "Tell me, Callie. Or I might just stop being nice and understanding..." He followed up his threat with a finger that snaked it's way in under her panties and slowly burned a path over her skin, towards her pussy. </p><p>"Okay...!" She admitted defeat quickly at the threat and swallowed hard, when she felt his finger stopping it's advance. He waited in silence. "I.. I have been naked with him..." Her cheeks burned hot against his collar and she was very thankful for being able to hide from this. "I.. I have sucked his dick... But we.. We haven't had sex..." She wanted to stop there.. Oh God she wanted it to stop there... But he had demanded honesty.. And this wasn't one of the secrets that she would die to protect. This was one of the secrets that might convince him that she didn't hide anything from him. "We tried... Once.. A few weeks ago. But I... I panicked... And we stopped." She swallowed hard and did her best, not to give in to the panic attack that was getting ready to overwhelm her right now as well. </p><p>Liam still hadn't moved his fingers and she was very aware of the small distance there was, before he could really touch her. Her skin burned, where he touched it and she had to fight very hard not to move away from his touch. She had a feeling that he would take that as an invitation to advance. So she just sat still and waited for his response.</p><p>"Have you... Been intimate with anyone but Wyatt since me?" Again that intense tone in his voice, but right now Callie was too preoccupied herself to think too much about it. "No," she simply said and hoped that that would be enough. It was even true. She had kissed Brandon once. That could hardly qualify as being intimate. And for once, she was really happy that she had had such trouble with boys. It meant that she didn't have anything to tell Liam about right now.</p><p>"How many times did you suck his dick?" was the next question and Callie bit down hard on the inside of her cheek. Why was he so obsessed with this?? Was he just hell-bent on making her as uncomfortable as possible??</p><p>"A few times," she said and then continued, before he could tell her to. "Five or six times, I think." </p><p>"And has he eaten your pussy?" The crass question made her hiss silently, but unfortunately she was quite sure that he would have heard. "No," she said through gritted teeth and was relieved, when she felt a wave of anger-filled heat run through her. It was so much easier to handle anger, than it was embarrassment. </p><p>"No? That seems unfair. Did he at least finger you then?" His tone was amused again now and that made her temper flare up even more. "Yes. Three times. Are we done with this now?!"</p><p>It took less than a second, before he had tightened his hold in her hair and had pulled back her face, so that she was looking up into his eyes. "We are done, when I say that we are done," he said and his face was cold and determined once again. "But I will allow you to be over this, if you answer me this truthfully..." His eyes were like piercing needles in her soul and she swallowed hard and fought back the stinging sensation in the corner of her eyes, as she waited for him to continue. "Did you like it, when he fingered you? Did you get all wet and horny on his fingers? Did he make you cum?"</p>
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<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi guys. So I have sort of started this up again. I am hoping to finish it this time around, but I won't promise anything ^^ I can tell you with certainty that comments and kudos will help me stay on track though. If I just feel like I am writing this for myself, then I don't feel obligated to feed the masses. :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The entire ride home, Callie was trapped with that last question, replaying in her head. Liam was quiet in the drivers seat and she definitely didn't feel like talking at all. So it was quiet and she had nothing to interrupt her brain in replaying that event again and again. "Did you like it, when he fingered you? Did you get all wet and horny on his fingers? Did he make you cum?" </p><p>Every time the questions ran through her mind, she felt her body reacting the same way as it had, when he had actually asked her. Her body turned first cold and then hot and she felt blood rushing through her veins. She felt trapped and helpless and she knew that she wouldn't get out of there without telling him, what he wanted to know. And all the time, he kept looking straight into her eyes and she felt like he could see the bottom of her soul from there. There was no doubt in her mind that he knew exactly, what she was feeling.</p><p>Eventually she had swallowed hard and worked up the courage to answer. "Yes, I liked it. No, he didn't make me cum." She had known that he might force her to elaborate on that, but it was all that she could force herself to say. And he had accepted this and left her alone after that. He had more or less just uncuffed her and let her dress herself. And now they were on their way home. </p><p>She glanced down at the dashboard and groaned internally. It had been almost three hours, since she was supposed to come home. She knew that she was in trouble. She couldn't even pretend that she had forgotten, because she had spoken to Brandon just after school. She knew that Stef and Lena would be disappointed in her. Maybe even angry. She hoped that they were angry right now and not worried, because she had not come home. She had already put that family through enough. She didn't want them to worry about her now, when all she would do for the foreseeable future was to let them down.</p><p>She could still feel the imprint of his hands all over her body and she shook once in discomfort, when her mind went to replay his demeaning questions again. She had spent so much time and energy to accept, that when Liam had forced himself on her, when she lived with his family, he had actually raped her. It had taken her months to be certain about that. And right now, that certainty just seemed to mock her. Because the veil that had been over her eyes the last couple of years was gone and she was free to fully appreciate the abusiveness of every single touch. It made her feel small and weak for allowing this. It made her feel guilty for not finding a way out of it. </p><p>They had just crossed the city border, when Liam reached over to her and took a hold of her wrist. Callie's head whipped around and there was fear in her eyes as she looked at him. But he didn't look at her. Didn't even say anything. He just pulled her hand towards him and laid it on top of the bulge in his pants. Then he put his own hand over hers, so she couldn't pull it back. </p><p>She had no trouble feeling that his dick was hard in his jeans. No trouble at all. It made her worry about what he was going to make her do, but it seemed that he didn't want more than this and Callie slowly relaxed somewhat. She could feel his dick moving beneath her hand, but she didn't try to move it away. He could have asked for much worse than this and she didn't want to give him a reason to do so. So for the rest of the way home, she had her hand on his growing cock.</p><p>Once they turned onto her road, she looked over at him and asked to be dropped off, where her foster family wouldn't be able to see her. Luckily he agreed and soon enough she closed the car door behind her and watched Liam drive away. She drew in a deep breath. And then she started the short walk home. She also pulled up her phone and turned it on again. Within seconds she had notifications for six missed calls, two voice mails and even three texts. But instead of looking at them, she pressed the sleep button and put the phone back in her pocket.</p><p>She had only just turned onto the lawn from the sidewalk, when she heard Jude's loud voice from inside and seconds later, he ran out of the front door to meet her. "Where have you been, Callie? We were worried, when you didn't come home." Her heart sunk in her chest, but she sent Jude a little smile and put her hand on his cheek. "Just know that it was important, okay? And please don't mind, what I say to the others." That was all she got to say, before the rest of the family stormed out of the house and first Stef and then Lena threw their arms around her and hugged her close. That lasted for a full five seconds filled with love and discomfort for Callie, knowing that what she would have to do next wouldn't be pretty.</p><p>Eventually Stef let go and looked into her eyes. "Where have you been, honey? We were worried sick!" Her relief was subsiding a bit and giving way for the anger that usually followed, when Stef had been scared. "And why on earth did you turn off your phone?! You have promised us to keep it on, so that we know, where you are."</p><p>And there it was. Because Callie knew that she could no longer make such promises. And the worst thing was that she couldn't even tell them why. She would have to give them another reason for her behavior. One that they would find believable. One that broke her heart to even consider. But she saw no other way.</p><p>"I just needed some time to myself," she heard herself saying and now Lena pulled back from the hug as well and looked at her with her brows pulled tightly together. "I had plans this afternoon and I couldn't just cancel, because I had to help out here. And I knew that if I kept my phone on, you would keep calling me and you would eventually come and pick me up and.. It just feels like a prison!" She hated every single word, she was saying and she could feel the tears fighting their way to her eyes. She wouldn't give in to them though and blinked hard, while she refused to even glance at Jude to see, how he was taking this. Unfortunately that left her no choice but to look at Stef and Lena's hurt and shocked faces. None of them were even touching her anymore.</p><p>"Mama needed help in the garden, Callie. And in this house, we help each other, when it is needed." Stef's voice was cautioning her not to wander further down this path, but Callie couldn't stop. She would have to make a clean break now. She would have to make them believe that she was absolutely unhappy with the restrictions they had put on her. Because she knew that Liam would make her break them again and again in the coming days, maybe even weeks. Or months. If she didn't make them believe that this was coming from herself, then they would push her relentlessly to tell the truth and she just couldn't do that. It was far to risky. </p><p>So she continued and ignored Stef's warning look. "Why couldn't that have been tomorrow?! Or the day after? It is completely unfair to ask us to just drop everything without at least giving us a little notice!" </p><p>"Listen Callie. That is <em>not</em> how we speak to each other in this house." Stef's voice had gotten firm and she was still trying to make Callie reseed with her look. But Callie made herself return the look and stubbornly stuck out her chin, trying to channel her inner disobedient teenager. It worked surprisingly well. "Now. Why don't we all go inside and talk about this?" </p><p>That was a bad idea and Callie knew that right off the bat. She would crack, if she had to have a sit down with Stef and Lena. Her heart was already bleeding from having caused the emotions she could read in their faces. She couldn't keep this up, if she had to be calm about it. So instead she just started to move towards the front door. "No. You can talk, if you want to, but leave me out of it!" She could hear them starting to follow her after a few seconds, so she picked up the pace and was more or less running up the stairs to the room that she shared with Mariana. She slammed the door behind her and turned the key in the lock, before quickly going to the bathroom door and yanking the key out of the hole, so that she could also lock that door from inside the room.</p><p>She had only just turned the lock, when she heard a loud banging on the door to the hallway and Stef's angry voice. "Callie! Open this door right now!" </p><p>"No!" Callie couldn't make herself say any more, because now that she was alone, she could feel the tears slipping out of her control. Her voice would break, if she said any more, so she just moved over to her bed and sat down in the corner farthest from the door. Stef was still banging on it and demanding that she open it and her anger cut Callie deep. She drew up her knees in front of her and hugged them close - trying to tune out of the whole situation. </p><p>Eventually she heard Lena's voice through the door. "Stef, this isn't productive. Why don't you just take a breath and then come downstairs with me and let Callie have a little space. We can talk to her later." There was a long silence and she could practically see, how they would look each other in the eye right now - conveying more than words. Then she heard both of them go down the stairs and she sighed hard once and could feel how she started shaking.</p><p>She didn't know how long it was, until she heard Jude's voice coming from the bathroom. "Callie? Callie can I please come in?" She lifted her head from her knees and saw two wet spots on her jeans. She hadn't realized that she had started crying. She couldn't let Jude see that though, so she quietly cleared her throat, though it was still a bit raw, when she answered him; "Not right now buddy. I need a minute to myself." </p><p>It was quiet so long that she thought that he had gone, when she heard his voice again. "What is going on, Callie? Please tell me. Maybe I can help you?" </p><p>Quietly she got off the bed and sat down beside the bathroom door - getting closer to him, without allowing him to get too close. "You can't help me Jude," she replied softly through the door and hated herself even more for causing him pain too. "And please don't say anything to the others about... About anything, okay? I'm not hurting them to be a bitch. Please believe me." She should probably lie to him too, but she just couldn't do it. She needed him to understand at least some of what was going on. Understand just enough that he wouldn't end up hating her like the rest of the family probably would.</p><p>There was another long silence. "Okay. I won't say anything. But Callie... Just... Are you in danger?"</p><p>"No," she lied calmly. It would just upset him, if she told him the truth. How much in danger of getting raped over and over again she was. But it was true enough for what he was asking anyway, so she didn't feel too bad about lying. "No, I am not in danger. But I will probably end up fighting a lot with Stef and Lena..." She felt like she had to warn him of this. "And when I do... I want you to take their side, okay? I don't want you to get in trouble because of me. Besides.. You are a Foster now. And Fosters stick together, remember?" She tried to tease him a little, but she wasn't sure, how well it was taken. </p><p>"Okay.. Please be careful, Callie."</p><p>She could feel his hurt and confusion even through the door and she leaned her forehead against it for support. "I love you too, buddy."</p><p>"I heard Mom call Robert a while ago. I don't think that they believed you. She asked, if he knew, where you had been today."</p><p>Callie felt the pit in her stomach growing heavier. Robert was the last person, she wanted to be involved in any of this. "What else did she say?"</p><p>"I don't know. Mama saw me and asked me to give Mom some privacy."</p><p>Callie tried to breathe through this news along with everything else and put a hand against the door. "Thanks for telling me." Her voice was low and she couldn't think of anything more to say. Jude picked up on it quickly and after another few moments, she heard him getting up and walking out of the bathroom with a quiet; "Goodnight, Callie." Eventually, Callie also got up, unlocked the doors and went back to her bed. This time she lay down in it and turned her back to the door and let more tears fall. Eventually she checked her phone and erased the messages from Stef without reading them. There was really no point. They would just hurt her more.</p><p>She had only just laid down the phone on her blanket, when it buzzed and she picked it up again.</p><p>Right there in the middle of the screen was a text from Liam. </p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>"Sneak out at 1 am tonight. I want to see you. I'll pick you up, where I dropped you off."</p></div></div>
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<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Ready for the next chapter. At least there are a few things getting out there to the rest of you too ^^ Enjoy!</p>
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    <p>Callie hadn't come down until dinner time. She had thoroughly ignored everyone at the table and had kept her eyes on her food, while she ate and she had been horribly focused on how awkward the conversation around her was. After dinner, Stef and Lena had sat down with her and they had asked all sorts of questions about her outburst earlier. Meanwhile Callie had fixed her gaze on the flower she could see through the kitchen window and had replied to all of their questions with words like 'yes' and 'no' and 'I don't care'. She could feel, how they silently questioned her behavior and she knew that they worried that she was hiding something. The trouble was of course that they knew her too well. She might have gotten away with this act, when she had just arrived at their house, but not now. </p><p>When they finally let her go upstairs, they were clearly frustrated with her lack of response and Stef had demanded that she come home right after school for the next week. Callie didn't even try to fight her on it. She was sure that she would end up breaking that rule - maybe even tomorrow - and there really wasn't much to say about it.  But she worried a lot that she wasn't going to be able to keep this up for long enough.</p><p>Mariana had been quiet all night and it wasn't until they were both lying in bed with the lights turned off that Callie heard her whisper; "Are you okay?" </p><p>The three words made her feel less alone than she had felt all afternoon. And had it been any other situation, she would probably had talked it all out with her sister and Mariana would have worked that magic of her's that always would leave her feeling better. But she couldn't talk to her about this. Mariana was good at a lot of things, but she was horrible at keeping secrets. And this was a secret that she needed to be kept. So instead of opening up, she drew the covers in closer and kept staring at the wall. "No. But I don't want to talk about it." </p><p>Mariana didn't respond, but eventually Callie heard her breathing change and relaxed with a quiet sigh. </p><p>She had hardly slept the night before and due to the emotional day she had had, Callie was completely worn out. Her eyelids were heavy, but she fought back and blinked furiously. She didn't dare to sleep and have the alarm wake her, because she was afraid that it might wake up Mariana as well. She scrolled mindlessly on her phone to keep her awake, but eventually the exhaustion won and her phone landed next to her face on top of the pillow as she fell asleep.</p><p>She woke with a start, when the phone vibrated in her hand. In half a panic, she fumbled with the phone and tried to blink her eyes awake enough that she could see the display. A quarter past one and one message from Liam; </p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>"I'm waiting..."</p></div></div><p>She was frozen for a few seconds, before her heart jumped into her throat and started to beat furiously. With shaking fingers, she replied.</p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>"I'm sorry! Fell asleep. Coming now!"</p></div></div><p>As quickly and as quietly as possible, she picked up the clothes from earlier, put it on and then she snuck downstairs and out the front door. She couldn't help but feel a twinge of guilt as she closed it - knowing that this was the second night in a row that she had snuck out. At this rate she would probably be locked up in her room by next week.</p><p>She couldn't dwell on it though. Instead she took off in a run and was soon able to see the Wrangler parked at the curb ahead. Not until she saw it, had she time to think about, how Liam would react to her being this late when meeting him. But seeing his face, answered that question. There was no smile for her, just a set jaw and brooding shoulders. "Get in."</p><p>She did as he said and got onto the passenger seat. She had hardly closed the door behind her, before Liam gassed up and quickly turned the car around, while Callie struggled to put the seat belt on.</p><p>He was clearly pissed, so she would have to find a way to appease him. "I'm sorry," she said softly and looked at his face to see, how it was received. "I fell asleep. It wasn't on purpose." </p><p>There was the tightest twitch of his lips, but he didn't respond. "Where are we going?" She didn't reach for her phone to turn it off this time. She had been in such a hurry that she had forgotten it on the bed. </p><p>"Back to my place." The words were distant and almost cold, but it was the meaning of them that made Callie more nervous than anything else. For some reason, going to his place in the middle of the night, didn't seem like a good idea to her. But she knew better than to try and talk him out of it. If he wanted her at his apartment - he would get her at his apartment. They both knew that there wasn't much, she wouldn't do for Jude and she could do little more than to try and talk to Liam's softer side once in a while when the moment was right. And the moment was definitely not right now.</p><p>It was only maybe five or ten minutes later that he turned off the road an into the parking lot of an apartment building and Callie felt a twinge in her stomach, thinking about how close to both her school and home he lived. It was so close that he could easily ask her to take the bus to visit him and she didn't like that at all. Right now she had more pressing concerns though and she tried to swallow the lump in her throat.</p><p>At his request she got out of the car and followed him inside. It seemed to be a nice place based on the well lit halls and clean stairs. Which was all that she could make herself notice, while she followed Liam up to the third floor and in through his door. He had opened it for her to let her go inside ahead of him, but once she was in, she heard him turn the lock in the door behind them and it sent Callie's heart racing. She felt more trapped this way, even if she knew that it made no difference. Even without the locked door, she was still trapped and couldn't get out. But it was like with the cuffs from earlier. It felt much more real this way. Real and scary.</p><p>She made a decision not to move, but just stood in the middle of his living room and waited for him to do or say something. She noticed a variety of details, without really seeing the room as a whole. Like the thick blanket on the grey couch right in the middle of the room and the vase on the table behind it. It seemed to be a big room. Definitely not something she could afford, when she was ready to move away from Stef and Lena. And it was clean. But then again, Liam had never been a slob.</p><p>She heard him move behind her and involuntarily tensed up in her entire body. She felt his hands at her sides and tensed even more, when she felt his arms encircle her waist and draw her in close to his chest. He was very warm against her and she shivered slightly, when she felt his face against the side of her neck and his lips against her skin. "Relax," he mumbled against her neck and she shivered again at the feel of his hot breath. "We made a deal yesterday. I am not going to change it today." </p><p>At his words, she realized that that had been exactly, what she had been afraid of. She had thought that he might force her to have sex with him, now that he had brought her back to his place. That he would punish her for being late to meet him. And although she was very relieved that that did not seem to be the case, she still wasn't convinced that this was a safe visit for her. Just the way he had his arms around her waist reeked of the same possessive attitude that she remembered from her time living with him. She forced herself to relax a little, although not much. It made her nervous, not knowing what was going to happen - but it wasn't like she was going to ask either. Mostly because she didn't want Liam to hear how small and frightened her voice probably was. </p><p>Instead she stood still, while he held her close and kissed her neck. It made her shiver from time to time, especially when she felt his lips around her earlobe and he pulled at it with his teeth. The shiver was of discomfort, but also something else. It was stirring up some old memories.. Memories of how they had been sneaking around at his parents house and how he had held her tight and kissed her deeply. And how he had dragged up some urges that she hadn't understood until she had started dating Wyatt. Liam had always been the experienced one in the relationship. Back then he had made her feel safe, when he held her like this. Safe and desired. But she tried her very best to banish the old memories and hang on to the disgust. It wasn't like the memories had been real anyway. He had never cared for her. Not then and he didn't now. </p><p>Eventually he loosened his grip and pulled back a little. He was still right behind her though, when he spoke again. "I want you to strip down to your underwear." Callie's head whipped around to allow her to look at him and her body turned around with it. </p><p>"What?" The words mimicked how confused and scared his words made her feel. Stripping in front of Liam was very low on her list of wants in this world - especially after the afternoon that she had just endured. She still hadn't gotten over the feel of his hands all over her body and just the thought of that happening again already. He would have to be joking. At the very least, he would have to change his mind! </p><p>"Strip to your underwear." Neither his face nor his tone gave her hope of him changing his mind, but she still didn't move. It was like her mind refused to think that this was the end of it. Liam walked around her and stopped a few steps in front of her.</p><p>"You have already been with me in your underwear once today. And I will keep my clothes on. And you can thank yourself for this for being late." It seemed like a list he had thought trough and it made Callie's eyes burn with tears. It seemed that she had been right, when she had feared that he would punish her for having fallen asleep. And it also meant that he was not going to change his mind. </p><p>"I... I don't.. Think.. I can..." She felt completely frozen in her body and it even felt like the voice that spoke her words, was coming from very far away. Like it wasn't even her saying it. </p><p>"You can do it yourself <em>right now</em>, or you can let me come over there and undress you instead. That is your choice." His face was not happy <em>or</em> angry. It was just very, very determined. And Callie felt her hands reach down to the hem of her shirt, even before she had decided that this was what she was going to do. But as she pulled the sweater over her head, she accepted that this was just the lesser of two evils. She would do anything to make sure that Liam didn't touch her again, but since that wasn't possible, she was prepared to make sure that he got to touch her as little as possible.</p><p>As the sweater hit the floor without a sound, Callie willed her fingers to the button in her jeans. For some reason, she was still looking into Liam's eyes, as she did this. She felt the need to look away and her cheeks were hot with embarrassment, but she just couldn't. Not even when her jeans hit the floor and she stepped out of them along with her shoes and socks. She was wearing a white set of underwear with a few lace details, but it was nothing special and for that she was grateful. Liam should definitely not think that she had dressed up for him.</p><p>Her eyes still never left his, when he started walking towards her and she craned her neck, when he got close enough to put a warm arm around her and pull her close to his chest. </p><p>"Kiss me, Callie. Like you mean it." His voice came out as almost a whisper and she had to swallow hard, before she could raise herself up on her toes and put her lips against his. Slowly she moved her lips and tasted that familiar taste of Liam on his. When she felt him open his mouth, she allowed her own mouth to open and greet his seeking tongue with her own. He had after all asked her to kiss him. Like she meant it. And although it had been a while, she remembered how it felt like to mean it.</p><p>She felt him tighten his hold around her waist and then he moved his other arm up, so that it was around her shoulders. It held her tight against his chest and kept her on her toes as they kissed. Being held like this stirred up more old memories that turned into a muffled yearning that immediately turned to revulsion, when she realized how easily she reacted to him. Why did she do that? How was it even possible for her to feel anything like that in his presence? </p><p>She reacted by pulling back - or trying to at least. But Liam's arms kept her in place and he kept kissing her, even if she had turned unresponsive. The feeling of his lips and arms, when he forced her like this, drowned out any and all of the feelings, she had tried to shy away from and that seemed like a good thing. The trouble was of course that it also made her feel the assault part of their interaction that much more intimately. And it made her skin crawl.</p><p>When he finally pulled back, Callie felt a twinge of nervous energy along with a sudden urge to just stay near him and kiss. After all, if they were doing that, they couldn't really do anything else. Maybe it had been a mistake to pull away?</p><p>She tried to move closer to him again, but he had his hands on her arms and kept her back. "Turn around," he said instead and with a pit in her stomach, she did as he asked. "Put your hands on your back," was the next command - there was little arguing that <em>that</em> was exactly what it was - and Callie followed suit, before she could think too much about it. She heard him move around a little and then she felt something soft and cool being placed and fastened around first one wrist and then the other.</p><p>"What is that?" she asked - alarmed but still able to keep still and let him do what he was doing. And still able to keep her voice almost calm.</p><p>"Leather cuffs," he answered and Callie wracked her brain to try and visualize, what it was. She wasn't completely able to, but thinking back on the other cuffs, he had used earlier that day, she had an idea of what he was going to use it for. And she was right. Before long her wrists were locked together using the cuffs, and she could feel the nervous energy building - just like it had in the car, when he had cuffed her. It made no sense that she was more afraid now, than she had ben uncuffed. But she was.</p><p>Liam put his hand around her elbow and she felt a slight pull in it. "Come here. I want to sit down for a while." He pulled her towards the couch and she followed him without resisting. He sat down in the couch and arranged her to stand directly in front of him, which made her very aware of just how little clothes, she was wearing. Especially now that she didn't have the freedom to cover herself up with her hands.</p><p>"You told me this afternoon that you had sucked Wyatt's dick five or six times." He paused, which made Callie look him in the eye to see, what he was hinting at, but she couldn't guess what he was thinking. She only saw that smile of his. "Well, you have never sucked mine. So I have decided that you will suck my dick every day for the next week. You are after all used to it by now, right?" She could hear that he was trying to tease her, but she was <em>so </em>not in the mood for that. She felt more like a prize that needed to be reclaimed. And having it reclaimed by being forced to perform oral sex on someone you loathe? That made her almost gag. </p><p>There was no way out of it of course - just like there was no way out of any of this. But once again she felt anger burn through her veins - giving her a burst of strength that she needed to get through this. </p><p>"But..." Callie looked at him again and saw him smile at her angry eyes. "I don't want you to have all the fun..." The anger burned hotter at that. Fun? He thought that she was having <em>FUN?!</em> Had she not been cuffed, she might have hit him at that remark. Maybe that was why he had cuffed her? How satisfying would it be to hit him so hard that saliva and maybe even blood would fly out of his mouth with the impact? </p><p>The thought almost made her smile, but her fantasies were interrupted, when he continued. "So I am gonna give you another choice... Like I told you yesterday, I won't sleep with you, until you agree to do so all by yourself. But... When you are sucking my dick..." Callie hung by his every word and he seemed to be taking pleasure in dragging the explanation out to make her more nervous - pausing for dramatic effect all the time. "I want to either get your permission to fingerfuck and otherwise play with your pussy with my hands..." Callie felt her body get cold at those words and she could feel, how she started to shake all over, while her head was already shaking 'no'. Just the thought of having his fingers inside of her - violating her <em>again. </em>She just couldn't do it. "Or... You can agree to wear this..." </p>
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<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Chapter 11</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Here is another chapter. As always I appreciate any and all comments and/or kudos. Even bookmarks make me happy at this point :P</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p class="">From under the blanket, he pulled out a small, blue and U-shaped thing that Callie immediately recognized as a sex toy of some sort. She had never bought one or had intentionally browsed to look at sex toys, but it was hard being a teenager with access to the internet, without having come across a few at some point. The bright baby blue color and the silicone surface was enough to send her in the right direction. Other than that, she was lost. It wasn't like a dildo or something like that. It had more of a U-shape with one end small and the other almost the size of an egg.</p><p>"W-what is it?" The question pushed it's way out over her lips, even though she didn't really want to know. </p><p>"It's a vibrator," he said and pointed to the big end. "This goes up your pussy and this," he pointed to the small end and continued, "rests against your clit and gives you a nice external buzz as well." </p><p class="">His smile indicated that he was very pleased with the situation, but Callie suddenly felt cold and couldn't help but back a few steps away from the couch. She could feel his eyes on her face, even though she had more trouble looking away from the vibrator. "I don't want either," she said firmly.</p><p class="">He didn't move to stop her - probably because he knew (just as she knew) that she couldn't leave for good. Instead he just kept sitting there and holding forth the vibrator. "You have to choose Callie." His low voice was both dangerous and amused at the same time. "If you won't choose, then I will have to choose for you." <span class="">Callie felt her heart starting to beat hard, as she took another step backwards. She knew it was stupid and she knew that she couldn't get away, but she couldn't help herself. This was too much. It was much too close to what she had feared, he would do to her. This might not be them having intercourse, but it would still be Liam - invading her privates without her consent. </span></p><p class="">"Please.." She stepped back again and felt her stomach drop, when all he did was lift an eyebrow at her. "Please Liam. Anything but that.." Maybe she could make him rethink this. Maybe they could hold off on it. At least for a while - until she had had more time to get used to this situation. She recognized that she was on the verge of another panic attack and this time she wasn't confused as to what had caused it. "Please don't make me. I'll do anything else..."</p><p class="">As she stepped back again, Liam rose from the couch and she took several quick steps back, once she realized that he was coming to get her. "Choose Callie," he said, as he advanced and even though she kept backing away, he was soon beside her and grabbed her wrist. "Choose, or I will choose for you." It was like a broken record. Nothing about this felt real and Callie couldn't bring herself to think that this might actually happen. He would change his mind. In another moment or two, he would start to pity her and allow her to do something else instead. Liam tightened his hold on her wrist and started to drag her back to the couch, even though Callie tried to fight him on it. She was beyond rational actions right now. She did not want to go back to the couch, because then Liam would demand an answer and she didn't want to give it to him. So she did her very best to fight him on it - digging in her heels and pulling the other way. But Liam was so much stronger than she was and it didn't take him long until he was back on the couch and this time, he had dragged her down with him, so that she was sitting sideways on his lap with her feet on the couch cushion. </p><p class="">She didn't realize that she had started crying, before Liam kissed a tear away from her cheek, which made her pull her face away in a quick movement. And then she realized that she was not only crying - she was also shaking against his chest and the arm he had around her back to hold her in place. She didn't try to escape from his hold anymore. What would be the point? He was too strong for her to fight off. He always had been. She had never been able to fight him off. Not the time that he had visited her in her bedroom and certainly not now. But her mind still wasn't ready to process the situation and shed away from it by refusing to deal with any of it. </p><p>She sat still for a while, just crying and shaking, before she felt Liam's lips against her ear. "In 30 seconds, I am going to stick my finger into your pussy, if you do not choose something else. I am going to fingerfuck you right to the knuckle... During all the time you will spend here the next week... My fingers are going to go in and out, in and out..." His words snuck their way into her scrambled thoughts and she couldn't help but imagine the situation he described. It made her chest feel tight with fear.  "Is that what you want? Or do you want something else?" </p><p>Panic shot through her, when she understood that she was out of time. She would have to decide. And of course she already knew, what she absolutely <em>couldn't</em> bear. Which Liam did too. He was practically taunting her with it. That only left one choice.</p><p>"Th-The vi-vibrator," she managed to get out between the broken sobs that fought their way out of her chest with every breath, even if she tried to stop them. She hated crying like this in general, but she especially hated crying like this in front of Liam. He liked it too much. She was confirming how scared, he was making her. And she didn't want him to know that. It felt like she lost a lot more control that way and it made her feel small and powerless. But it didn't seem like she would be able to stop either.</p><p>"Good giiirl..." His lips were still right against her ear, so she pulled her head forcefully away from his. There it was again.. The little spark of anger that had helped her before. She grabbed at it now, but it disappeared again, as soon as she saw Liam pick up the vibrator and start to position it between her legs. He pushed her thighs apart with one hand, while he lowered her upper body with his other arm, to the point where she was almost lying on her back across his lap.</p><p>"Now relax, baby. It's not too big and I will use lube to get it in. Don't worry. It won't hurt you." He might as well had kept his reassurances to himself for all the good they did. Callie wasn't even really listening to him. She fixed her eyes on the light in the ceiling and wished that she could pass out or something. She was still crying, but not in that same desperate way as before. For some reason, she felt no need to move or to fight. She felt no urge to reason with him. None of it would make any difference anyway. It was like she had shut off her emotions. The only thing she could feel, was the tears streaming down along her temples and into her hair. And Liam's arm and hand, as he prepared to do, as he had promised. It was probably better to just be still and let him do, what he was determined to do. It wasn't like she could stop him anyway.</p><p>She heard a cap of a tube of some kind being snapped open and then closed and then she felt her panties being pulled to the side. She heard him make a sound at that, but she couldn't be bothered to care about what it meant. Then something cold and slippery touched her <em>there</em> and she couldn't help but whimper, when she felt something big being pushed against her entrance. Some part of her brain recognized that what he had said about the lube, seemed to be true, because the vibrator met no real obstacles, as it slid slowly up into her. </p><p>She whimpered more than once and when he tried to push in the biggest part, she even squirmed enough that he paused for a moment and shifted his eyes to look at her face for a while. "Relax, Callie. If you relax, you might even enjoy this." <em>Doubtful</em>, her mind retorted immediately. There was no way that she could ever enjoy this. He might not be forcing her to have sex with him, but he had still found a way to rape her. This was just the mildest form of rape that he could have thought of. It made her sick to her stomach that she was enduring this again. And this time she was extremely aware of it happening.</p><p>After a few moments of waiting, he pushed again and this time, she felt how it sort of snapped in place over the last distance and settled itself inside of her. It made the little part at the other end push against her from the outside and before Liam let her panties fall back to normal, she felt him pull at the skin on either side of it to make sure that it was nestled in correctly. For a moment or two, Callie just lay there and tried to get used to this new feeling. The way that it filled her up from the inside, pushed her body to clench on it. It was like an itch and when she clenched on it, the itch went away. At least for a few moments. The smaller part rested almost exactly against her clit and that felt a bit more uncomfortable. It felt like that part had an uneven surface, because every time she shifted or clenched down on the vibrator, she could feel it quite intensely on her clit.</p><p>She recognized that her panic attack had played itself out, but it had left her sort of numb. She felt like she was examining her reactions in a clinical fashion - as if it wasn't even her that this was happening to. And she was glad that this was an option. At Liam's request, she awkwardly got off of his lap and knelt down between his legs. The vibrator continued to press and twist in all sorts of weird movements, but it wasn't actually uncomfortable. It just felt... Weird. And she just sort of accepted that it was nestled in close to her now. Because her hands were still cuffed at her back, she couldn't pull it out and at least it gave her something else to think about besides Liam unzipping his jeans.</p><p>"Listen," his voice broke her train of thoughts and she recoiled a little, when she felt his hand caressing her cheek. "This is important. I have already told you that I want you to suck my dick," he paused for a moment, while Callie fixed her gaze on his knee, rather than look at how he exposed himself to her right now. It wasn't enough to block out the knowledge that he was pulling down his jeans a bit and rearranging his boxers. "Are you listening, Callie?" His voice was harder now and she nodded once to acknowledge that she could hear him.</p><p>"Okay. I want you to know that this will be your most important job as my girlfriend." She scoffed internally at his distinction of the word 'girlfriend', but didn't comment out loud. She wasn't in the mood for more punishments. "I love my cock. And I want you to love it too. I want you to show your love for it." It seemed that Liam saw her confusion, because he elaborated willingly. "I will teach you how to show your love in the best way, don't worry. Just know that it is very important to me - to us - that you do your very best here. Sucking my dick should be a pleasure for both of us. And I will tell you right now that doing a good job here is the best way to appease me, if you have done something wrong. Make it up to my cock and you have made it up to me. Understand?"</p><p>Callie nodded again, even if she wasn't completely sure that she did understand. </p><p>"Good." Liam was done rearranging himself now and she felt his fingers glide into her hair and pull her head closer. Instinctively she fought against the pull for a moment, but then remembered that there was no point and instead let him guide her face to his cock. There really wasn't much point in resisting at this point, so Callie resigned herself to just get this over with as soon as possible so that she could go home. And that meant doing, as he asked. It helped that she still felt distanced from it all. She knew that she should be disgusted right now, but all she felt was the urge to have this over with.</p><p>"The first thing you want to do, is to make sure that it knows, you are there," he said and Callie almost gagged at the way he talked about his dick as if it was a sentient being. "Hug it with your face. Don't try to take it in your mouth yet. Just stroke it gently with your nose and cheek." </p><p>His voice was sickly sweet and encouraging and she shivered every once in a while, when she felt the way he almost lovingly stroked through her hair. This was in no way how she had given Wyatt blowjobs and it surprised her how soft his skin was against her cheek, as she stroked it. A few times she almost poked herself in the eye with him, but she managed to stop before it happened.</p><p>"That's good. Move a bit slower, baby. Don't try to get this over with as quick as possible. Show me that you like doing this. Show me that you want to be good to it." Callie slowed down and did as he asked, while she felt one of his hands starting to stroke her softly over her shoulders and back. Against her will, she felt almost soothed by his gentle touch. At least it was better than when he was rough with her.</p><p>"Now that you have gotten it all hard for you, I want you to kiss it with those soft lips of yours. Kiss it and lick it. Show me that you can love it the way I want you to."</p><p>Callie bit back a reaction to pull away and forced herself to just do, as he instructed. Every time she fought back, it just got worse and worse for her. She needed to just do, as he asked, if she ever wanted to get home again. So she placed a slow, soft kiss at the base of his cock and felt like she might actually have understood, what it was he was asking from her now. She wet her tongue and suppressed a shiver, as she licked up the length of his shaft. That pulled a soft moan from him.</p><p>"Oh baby, you haven't changed a bit. You are still the most amazing girl, I have ever met." His words were almost breathless and Callie did her very best not to hear them. She knew very well that she was susceptible to flattery like this because of the sheer number of rejections she had endured through her time in the foster system. It had been one of the things that she had been working on with her therapist and if there was anyone she didn't want to be drawn to on false ground, it was Liam.</p><p>He had started twitching in his seat and Callie felt relieved. If he was anything like Wyatt, that meant that he would be done soon. And hopefully he would then drive her home.</p><p>"Open your mouth and take it in slowly, baby. Remember to use your tongue still."</p><p>Callie drew in a breath to steel herself and then did as he asked. His hand in her hair was still guiding her - cautioning her to go slow and she did, as he wanted, while she moved her tongue up and down the length of his cock.</p><p>Suddenly, she felt his hand tighten it's hold in her hair and she almost bit down on him, when she felt the vibrator springing to life against her pussy. It shocked her to feel it so intensely against her clit, when she had all but forgotten that it was even there and she tried instinctively to pull her head back to orient herself. But his hand in her hair held her in position and for a long minute she was caught in a rigid pose - trying to flee but with nowhere to go. </p><p>After the initial shock her body relaxed a bit, although granted not much. She was very aware of her mouth that was still full of Liam's cock and her arms that were still securely fastened behind her back, so that she couldn't fight him. But what she was most aware of, was that little yearning that the vibrator was nursing right now. Because although it was small, it was still very much <em>there</em> and it made Callie panic to realize that the more she fought against it and tried to squish it down - the more it seemed to grow. This wasn't the first time she had tried to be turned on, so she recognized the feeling. She just didn't know how to handle it.</p><p>"Relax, baby." Liam's words made her realize that she had gone rigid again and was trying to pull away from his cock, while he still held her in place. "Don't worry. It is just to make sure that you learn to enjoy this too. After all, you will be doing it often. I am doing it to help you." </p><p>Callie recognized his try to manipulate her, but eventually also recognized that it made no difference, why he was doing it. The fact was that he <em>was</em> doing it and that she couldn't do a thing to stop him. No matter how much she had tried to pull back, her lips were still wrapped around his cock. And although she hated, how her body had decided to act on it's own right now - what she really needed was to have this done and over with so that she wouldn't have to endure having her first orgasm at the hands of Liam Olmstead, while he was forcing her to suck his dick. </p><p>Eventually she swallowed down her pride and made an effort to relax. Slowly she took in more of his cock in her mouth and Liam relaxed his grip on her hair a little to allow her to do it. A deep, satisfied sigh was all of the reaction she got from Liam and she found that the more she focused on something else, the less power the vibrator seemed to have over her body. So she threw herself wholeheartedly into the blowjob, which was the lesser of two evils right now. She still went slowly up and down, but she moved her tongue and her lips in difficult patterns and tried to register how he reacted to each one, so that she would know what to do to make him finish off fast. </p><p>Her experimentation made Liam moan again and again and she felt his hand in her hair picking up the pace from slow to medium and then to fast after a blissfully short time. Her head bobbed up and down, while he panted and moaned and then eventually shouted loudly. She tried to move her head away to allow him to cum, but he still held her in place and she felt thick strings of a bitter liquid shoot into her mouth and she gagged almost immediately. Liam didn't let go though and she felt more strings hit the back of her throat, while she tried her very best not to vomit. </p><p>Wyatt had always let her pull back and had cum into a piece of paper and now she knew why. The taste was salty, slimy and bitter and she wanted nothing more than to spit it back out. But Liam still held her head, so she couldn't pull back and that didn't change, even when he was finally done and relaxed back against the couch cushion. Luckily it destroyed any lust he had managed to stir up in her and for that she was glad. He even turned off the vibrator.</p><p>She felt his hand run almost lovingly over her hair and she saw him look down at her, as she still had her lips around his shrinking cock. "You are such a wonderful girl, Callie. You have made me very happy tonight. And if you hurry up and swallow my cum, I will let you get dressed and take you home."</p><p>Callie wrinkled her nose in disgust at having to swallow it, but considering the fact that it was rolling around in her mouth right now, she chose the alternative and forced herself to swallow it, while she shivered violently.</p><p>"Good giiirl." Liam stroked her hair a few times more and then finally let her pull away.</p>
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<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Chapter 12</h2></a>
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    <p>Liam dropped her off around the bend in the road like last time and Callie walked the rest of the way home. She still felt numb and almost dethatched from her feelings. She knew that she should be feeling <em>something</em> after a night like this. She should be freaking out and loosing her shit, but she felt nothing but exhaustion.</p><p>It reminded her of the time after Liam had raped her. She had walked around in a daze for weeks and it had scared Jude to no end. Of course she couldn't let that happen this time. She would have to do a better job at pretending to be okay. For his sake as well as for the rest of the family.</p><p>Luckily everyone was asleep, when she got home and she just quietly undressed and turned to her bed. Then she looked back at her coat with the bulk in the pocket. She stared at it for a long time, trying to decide whether or not she should do it. Do as Liam had asked. Eventually she sighed in defeat and stuck her hand down into the pocket and drew out the vibrator and the little canister with lube. Quietly she slipped into bed and pried open the canister. In the dark under her covers, she turned the canister over and applied some of it's content to the toy's thick end. She pulled down her leggings and pushed her panties to the side with one hand, before she guided the toy back inside of her with the other. It was fairly easy to do and she thanked the higher powers for the fact that she was still numb enough not to fall apart over having to do this. Liam had demanded that she slept with it every night and that she kept it with her in the daytime too. And although she was fairly sure that he wouldn't be able to know if she actually did as he asked, she was too tired to fight him anymore tonight.</p><p>For the longest time, she just lay there in the dark and stared at the wall. She was very aware of how different it felt to be stuffed full of something like this, while she tried to sleep. It wasn't a discomfort per say, but she wasn't completely comfortable either. She was too exhausted to be kept up by it though and she eventually fell asleep - only to be awoken less than an hour later, when the toy suddenly sprung to life and vibrated violently against her. Her eyes flew open and it took her a minute to process, what was going on. Then her phone lit up and she could see that she had gotten a text from Liam.</p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>"Do you feel that?"</p></div></div><p>Her heart started racing - as she only now realized that he could turn it on from outside the house. She replied with a simple 'yes' and a few seconds later the toy went still and Callie relaxed a little from her rigid pose.</p>
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<p></p><div class="indent"><p>"Good girl."</p></div></div><p>And then nothing more. He didn't write again and the toy was silent, even after she had been awake for almost half an hour. But in that half hour of waiting, she had realized that he had simply fashioned a test to see if she was going to do as he asked and she was enormously happy that she hadn't ignored his request. Or else she would probably have been sneaking out again right now.</p><p>It had taken a long time for her to fall asleep again and the next morning Callie felt more dead than alive. She couldn't remember a time where she had been more exhausted than she was right now and it made her feel rattled. </p><p>She pushed around her cereal for the second morning in a row and left for school in such a haze that she only nodded, when Stef reminded her to come straight home after school. For once, school was uneventful and she didn't hear from Liam either, except for a text, where he asked her to meet him again in the evening. And although that was no more than she had expected, it still made her worry that she would loose yet another night's sleep. At home she found a list of chores that she needed to do to make up for her behavior the day before and she dragged herself through them before finally taking a short nap before dinner. </p><p>At midnight she snuck out to meet Liam and she was back in her bed again around 3 am. The same cycle repeated itself the next day and the day after that, while she felt Stef's watchful eyes on her whenever they were in the same room. She and Lena tried to talk to her more than once, but like the first time, Callie just fixated her gaze on something and replied as little as possible. The numbness still hadn't receded and she had a hard time even telling one hour from the next. </p><p>On the third day, something changed though. It was Friday and Callie was looking forward to a few days where she wouldn't have to worry about school. She had been falling behind on her homework, simply because she was so tired all the time and she had several assignments that she needed to do this weekend. Liam had at least agreed to let her go home after school each day, so that she wouldn't get into more trouble than she already was, but when she got home after school, she was almost cross-eyed from the exhaustion and like the other days she decided to take a nap. There was a rare silence in the house this afternoon. Mariana was over at Mat's house and Jesus at Hailey's. Jude was in his room, but even Brandon was in the garage practicing and Lena was running some errands. No one would notice if she slept for a few hours instead of just taking a quick nap and she needed it badly. </p><p>It was only a few moments after she had laid her head on the pillow before she slept and for the first time in almost a week, Callie allowed herself to relax while she slept. </p><p>At first, Jude didn't hear anything, but while he was reading a passage for his English class, his head suddenly whipped up, when a loud, frightened; "NO!" sounded from Callie and Mariana's room and for a few seconds, he couldn't even move. Callie had always been his rock. She had been the one person that he could always count on. Even when everyone else treated him badly or wanted to hurt him, she had always been there to protect him. Even if it meant that she would get hurt instead of him. And never had she sounded as scared, as she did right now.</p><p>When she shouted a second time - this time a "please!" - Jude got out of his chair and looked around. His searching eyes stopped at the baseball bat that Jesus had on his bottom shelf and Jude walked to it quickly and yanked it close. He then lifted it up and ran through the bathroom to the girls' room - ready for anything. Or so he had thought. Because, when he got there, there was no one but Callie in the room. She lay on her bed and she was crying, shouting and begging for someone to stop doing something. </p><p>"Callie?" Jude hesitantly walked closer, not sure how to react. But when Callie kept shouting, he let the bat fall to the floor and walked up beside her bed and shook her shoulder a little. "Callie! Wake up."</p><p>Callie was gasping for air. Her broken sobs made it difficult for her to breathe and it took too long for her to realize that Liam wasn't with her and that she was just having a frightening nightmare. She tried to choke back the sobs and breathe normally, when she realized that Jude was standing over her and that his eyes were wide with horror. </p><p>With effort Callie pushed down her own terror and willed her pounding heart to slow down. She groaned a little for show and sent Jude a little smile. "I'm sorry, bub. I guess I was having a bad dream." She drew in a big, steadying breath and pushed herself up to a seating position. She looked at him to see, how he was taking it and then took his hand between hers. "Did I frighten you?"</p><p>Jude sat down beside her and she could see him swallowing hard once, before he looked down. "A little." His eyes fixated on hers in that way he did, when he tried to read her mind. "What were you dreaming?" </p><p>She shrugged once and dried her eyes with the back of her hands, while she pretended like she was surprised to even see tears there. "You know, I don't even remember. It was something about a monster, I think? It was chasing me through a forest or something?" She was making this up on the fly, but it seemed plausible and that was all she needed right now. "Don't worry about me, okay? That's my job." She sent him a more genuine smile this time and put a hand on his cheek, when he mirrored her smile. "Go finish your homework, okay? I am fine." </p><p>Jude looked at her for another few seconds, but then nodded and got up. Only then did she see the baseball bat on the floor and felt her stomach drop. How bad could she have cried out, since he had taken <em>that</em> precaution? The thought wasn't comforting.</p><p>The incident did nothing to make Callie less tired, because now she worried that she would end up telling everyone at the house about Liam, every time she went to sleep. As a reaction to her anxiety, she didn't sleep well and woke up again and again every night - not from nightmares, but from the fear of nightmares. She was even getting a headache from the way that her teeth were bit hard together, when she woke. Almost like she subconsciously tried to bite back her screams.</p><p>Her nightmare had changed another thing too. A thing for the worse. Her numbness was gone. The numbness that she had come to depend on for these last few days. She felt rattled and anxious all the time and she was more prone to panic attacks than she had ever been before. </p><p>She didn't cry though. That part of her was still missing and she wasn't sure if it would ever come back. And even though she had no interest in crying, it still felt like a loss somehow. Like Liam had taken something more from her.</p><p>On Saturday morning, she woke, when she heard Stef calling from downstairs. "Callie, Rita's here to see you..."</p><p>In an instant, her heart was in her throat and she felt her whole body pulsating with each beat. Rita... A wave of guilt washed through her, once she realized that she had completely forgotten about Rita and the fire at Girls United. She had intended to go see Rita. To see if there was something that she could help her with. Girls United was Rita's whole world and finding a new place to stay had seemed to bee practically impossible.</p><p>"Coming!" Quickly Callie rolled out of bed and almost jumped out of her pyjamas and into the clothes she had worn yesterday. She ran her fingers through her hair a few times and then pulled it back into a ponytail, before she hurried down the stairs. On the way she glanced at the clock and was shocked to see that it was almost 10 am. Why had no one woken her for breakfast?</p><p>In the kitchen, Rita stood with a cup of tea and spoke quietly to Stef and Lena, but they all looked up, when they heard her come in and Callie almost winced at how forced the smiles looked on Stef and Lena's faces. Rita at least didn't try to seem normal for her benefit. Her smile was sincere if though a bit small.</p><p>"Hey Callie. I haven't seen you for a while." </p><p>Her words held no blame or sadness. They were just stated in that matter-of-fact-like way that Rita always did. </p><p>They still made it harder for Callie to breathe. "Yeah I know. I'm sorry." Without thinking about it, Callie rubbed her hands up and down her hips, because she couldn't just stand still.</p><p>"That's okay." Rita's warm acceptance rolled towards her alluringly. Callie took a small step to the side to get the kitchen table in between them.</p><p>"Rita's got some exciting news." Stef's smile was less forced now and Callie felt consequently less rigid.</p><p>"That's right. I wanted to tell you that Girls United is gonna be up and running again next week." </p><p>"That's amazing!" For the first time in what felt like forever, Callie felt a little jolt of joy and her face lit up. "How?"</p><p>"Why don't we go outside and I will tell you all about it?" </p><p>Callie felt her excitement drop and she looked from one to the other, but found no way to escape. This felt like an ambush and she suspected Stef and Lena of calling in reinforcements. "Okay.. Yeah, let's do that."</p><p>She drew herself a cup of tea too and went with Rita out on the porch, where they sat down by the small garden table.</p><p>"I'm sorry that I didn't come by sooner," Rita started out and Callie answered quickly with an "that's okay," while she tried to look as normal as possible. This was another person, who knew her too well for her to get away with too much pretending. Rita might even know her better than Stef and Lena did. Or at least she knew her pattern better and had more tools to analyze it. </p><p>"No, no. I should have come by sooner. Things have just been... Well let's just say that it hasn't been easy." Another deep-rooted wave of guilt washed through Callie, when she realized that Rita actually <em>had </em>needed her help. She almost felt like she had been whipped, when the words registered.</p><p>"I mean, thankfully Becka made a full recovery, but you know how hard it was for us to be accepted in the last neighborhood. And that fire didn't actually make it any easier finding someone, who would take us in." </p><p>Callie tried to swallow her guilt and nodded a little. "So what happened?"</p><p>"Well. A few days ago, someone just <em>responded </em>to my notices about a new place to stay and.." She shrugged and made a movement with her hand that said 'everything just sort of worked out'. "To tell you the truth, I had almost given up hope, when it happened. I had been to every union and every association in town with no luck. I even almost got my license revoked..."</p><p>"Why?!" The strength of her shock at this news almost scared Callie. But to think that anyone would stop Rita from doing all the good that she had been doing was almost too much to bear.</p><p>"Because one of my girls nearly burned a house while we were in it." Her voice was calm and collected - in stark contrast to Callie's, when she responded.</p><p>"That wasn't your fault."</p><p>"No. But it was my responsibility."</p><p>"But there was underground stuff going on that we should have told you about." How could the system be this blind?! </p><p>"It doesn't matter now." Rita sent her a small smile and rubbed her thumb soothingly over the warm mug. "It all worked out in the end. I mean, do I wish that I had known? Of course I do. But it wasn't your fault either, Callie."</p><p>Callie bit down on the inside of her cheek, but refrained from disagreeing with her openly. She had known that Devani had tricked Cole into smuggling in drugs and that those drugs had gone missing. She had known that Becka was upset and on edge. She had even been awake and in the same room, when Becka had gotten up at the middle of the night - looking exactly as trashy as she had, when Callie first had gotten to Girls United. It didn't matter what Rita said. All the signs of a disaster had been there and if she had just spoken up - none of this would have happened.</p><p>They sat in silence for a while, until Rita broke it.</p><p>"So your foster moms told me that you have been having a rough go at it too. Do you want to talk about why?"</p><p>This was the part, where she had to be careful, so she just shrugged and answered with a "Not really."</p><p>"They are very concerned about you." She then said and Callie could feel her understanding gaze, even though she was looking into the garden instead of at Rita. </p><p>"I know." She didn't want to lie to Rita - just like she didn't want to lie to Stef and Lena. In fact she wanted nothing more than to unload all of it right now and just be done with it. Let someone else take on the fight with Liam. Let someone help her. She was <em>so</em> tired. Tired of all of it. Tired to her core. But of course she knew that she couldn't say anything as long as he was threatening Jude. </p><p>"I can see that your defenses are up," Rita commented and Callie felt a hot flash of fear run through her body. Outwardly she just shrugged, while she fixed her gaze at Frankie's tree.</p><p>"Callie." The tone was serious now and Callie registered that Rita leaned forward and extended her hand. But when Rita's hand ended up laying on her right wrist - where Liam used to grab a hold of her - Callie reacted instinctively and ripped her wrist away from the touch. With her fingers curled around the mug, her sudden movement flung the hot liquid out of it's container and she screamed out in pain, when she felt it soak her shirt. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Chapter 13</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Callie had taken a long and cold bath, trying to settle the burn on her chest and when she got out, Rita had left. Which was both a relief and a disappointment. Relief because she now wouldn't have to either lie or be rude to Rita and disappointment because Rita had not miraculously fixed everything and saved her from her misery. </p><p>Stef and Lena seemed disappointed too and she could almost feel their frustration and anguish all the way from downstairs and up to her room where she had taken refuge. She was beginning to seriously doubt if she would be able to make ends meet. Even now where she had just woken up, she still felt tired and the math assignment in front of her was still blank. She just couldn't focus to do it. The words literally dissolved in front of her eyes no matter how many times she blinked. Maybe she had to sleep some more. But then she might start screaming again and everyone would want to know why.</p><p>It took her a while to notice the soft notes drifting in through the window from the garage. It was so different from the music she had been hearing from him the last couple of weeks and before she knew it, she had stood up and walked downstairs and out into the garden. The door to the garage was open and she paused in the doorway and couldn't help but smile, when she saw Brandon sitting there - seemingly completely engulfed in his play. </p><p>The classical tones were so wonderfully familiar that they soothed her rattled nerves and right at this moment, she felt almost normal. As quietly as possible, she stepped into the garage and lowered herself down to sit on the floor and rest against the door frame. She must have made a little noise though, because Brandon stopped playing and looked at her over his shoulder.</p><p>"I'm sorry. I've just really missed hearing you play like this. Do you mind if I just sit here and listen for a while?"</p><p>Brandon looked a little taken aback, but eventually shrugged. "Yeah sure. I'm just.. You know.. Practicing."</p><p>"I know." She sent him a smile and then rested her eyes, while she waited for him to start playing again. It wasn't really a comfortable position so she was in no danger of accidentally falling asleep. </p><p>It took a little while, but she felt better as soon as he started playing again. Of course she knew that he was self-conscious when playing classical after his injury. Which was why she had no intention of pressuring him to play in front of her. But as long as he was willing, she was grateful for just this little pause in her anxiety levels.</p><p>He played and played and eventually she even felt like she could hear a difference in his performance. Like he was relaxing too and could now give it his all. The last piece he played was one she had heard many times before. It was the melody that he had composed, while thinking about his family. He had explained this to her. How one string of notes was himself while another were Stef and Lena. And then it shifted into a melody with more strings, when the twins came to live with them. And when he let the melody ring to an end, it was with the full ensemble - which now also included the notes that represented herself and Jude.</p><p>She heard him shift and opened her eyes - surprised to find them all teared up. She wiped the tears away - a little embarrassed to cry in front of Brandon, but also happy to know that she actually still could. It would seem that Liam hadn't been able to take that part from her anyway.</p><p>Brandon seemed tormented as he sat there with hunched shoulders and his elbows resting on his knees with his gaze fixed on her. She had an idea, what was coming and tried to find the strength to just get up and walk away, before he could start to drill like his moms and Rita had already done. But she was comfortable and calm for the very first time in days. Brandon seemed to be the only person, who made her feel safe. And she couldn't just walk away.</p><p>"You know that you can tell me anything, right?" His voice was calm and earnest and he was still looking directly at her.</p><p>For the longest time Callie looked straight ahead before she turned her head to return his gaze. She held it while she shook her head a little and she had to work hard not to give away just how desperate she was. "I can't tell you this."</p><p>"Yes you can, Callie. Whatever it is. I can help you - <em>Moms </em>can help you..." Now Brandon seemed to be the most desperate one in the room.</p><p>"I'm sorry, Brandon. If I could, then I would - you know I would." The last sentence came out more urgently as she could see him wanting to object. "And I really, really need you not to talk to moms about this either."</p><p>She pleaded with her eyes as the silence dragged on and eventually she exhaled, when he finally nodded in agreement. "Alright. If.. If that is what you need... Just..." He interrupted himself and got up to walk the few steps over to her and sit down in front of her. "Callie just promise me that you are not doing anything stupid." He took her hand and held it gently between his, while she felt his eyes bore into hers. </p><p>She swallowed hard... And lied. "I'm not," she promised and felt rotten, as she did it. "It's necessary," she amended and tried to make it sound like those two words weren't at the opposite end of their spectrum.</p><p>He held her gaze still and she felt how his concern slowly floated into acceptance and she could feel her body relax again. After another few moments, he put his palm against her cheek and she couldn't help but lean into it even though she knew that she shouldn't. They had worked so hard to put their love behind them and this was definitely not a brotherly kind of touch. But she couldn't make herself care about it. Everything was already messed up anyway and if she was quite honest with herself - she needed to feel something real. And with Brandon it had never been anything but real.</p><p>His thumb lifted up to brush over the skin underneath her eye. "You look tired."</p><p>She smiled, but even she could feel the sadness in it. "Yeah, I haven't really been sleeping well." She paused a little and then continued. "It really helped listening to you play. Thank you." She could feel the tears rising up again, so she fought them back with rapid blinking.</p><p>"Can you keep a secret?" Brandon had both his hands around hers again and although he sounded hesitant, Callie couldn't help but roll her eyes at the question. "Of course." She leaned forward to encourage him to tell her.</p><p>"I got offered a scholarship for this summer program. Idyllwild, if you've..."</p><p>"Yeah, of course." Callie couldn't help but interrupt, while her heart thumped at the unexpected jolt of joy that shot through her. "Brandon that is fantastic."</p><p>He was already shaking his head and she could feel his hold on her hand tighten. "No, they offered it to me after hearing me play last fall.. Before... I can't play, like I used to, Callie!" His eyes had dropped to their hands and now she lifted her free hand to encompass one of his too.</p><p>"Brandon..." She lowered her voice and shrunk down in her shoulders to be able to look up into his face again. "You have to follow your dream. If this is something that you really want... Then I am sure that you can find a way to realize this. Remember? No matter how many set backs...?" She spoke the words that they had pinky sweared on last Christmas and she even saw a little smile tucking at the corners of his mouth at that. And she really believed that he could do it if he tried his best. After all, wasn't this what she was doing? Doing everything in her power to make sure that something happened. Or in her case - didn't happen. If there was one thing she had learned through this, it was that there was always a way. It was just a matter of whether or not you wanted to take it.</p><p>He looked up and they locked eyes again, while she tried to convey how much faith she had in him. And it seemed to work. Slowly he unhunched his shoulders from their defensive posture and his grip on her hand became less rigid. "How is it that you always know exactly what to say?"</p><p>She couldn't help but scoff at that and she were going to follow up with a remark about how wrong he was, but before she managed to do so, Brandon leaned forward in a quick movement and then his lips were against hers in the most blissful kiss she had ever experienced. Her senses were flooded with his smell and his taste - even his ragged breath as he clung to her just as desperately as she clung to him. Their lips moved effortlessly against each other and when they finally broke apart, they only pulled back a few inches, while they tried to catch their breath.</p><p>"That was stupid." He sounded winded and his voice had that sound of regret that wasn't completely heartfelt regret.</p><p>"Yes," she agreed but didn't pull back either. She knew that she should. Stef and Lena would be so disappointed if they found them like this. And things with Liam were so extremely hard already that she couldn't even fathom how hard it would be to juggle a secret relationship with Brandon at the same time. </p><p>So she knew that she should pull away. She just couldn't make herself do it. And then his lips were on hers again and she buried all of her worries until later.</p><p>------------------------------------------------------------</p><p>Everything was upside down, when Callie was back in her room a little while later. The music had stopped and she knew that Brandon was also in his bedroom - probably questioning all of his life choices too. This was such a bad idea. There was no way that this was going to end happily. But he had been so nice and understanding. As the only person in the family besides Jude, he had accepted that she might have a good reason for acting like she was. He had been so caring. And he had made her feel safe.</p><p>But that still didn't mean that it was no where near of being a good idea to start messing around with Brandon again. She needed to think this through. Or well.. What she <em>needed</em> was to march over to his bedroom and inform him that this could never happen. Or maybe she just needed to let him hold her again. Let him kiss her. </p><p>Her resolve wavered and she blinked hard - trying to force the exhaustion on retreat. What she actually needed was somewhere to sleep, where she could be alone for a few hours. Somewhere where no one would be frightened if she screamed. Somewhere were she could recharge. Just for a little while.</p><p>It took her a few minutes, but eventually she remembered that Daphne was working today. And in the meantime her apartment would be empty.</p><p>Daphne had been easier to persuade than Stef, when Callie had asked to be allowed to go out for a while. Stef was still not satisfied with her behavior, but since Callie technically had done nothing wrong (and gotten caught) in a while, she agreed to let her go as long as she was back for dinner later. Callie had promised and could already feel the relief in her bones, as she took the bus downtown.</p><p>Callie closed the door behind her and locked it tight. She was almost cross-eyed from lack of sleep and she went straight to the bedroom and lay down on Daphne's bed. She had four full hours, until she had to be back home for dinner. That meant three and a half hours of uninterrupted sleep. She was out within minutes.</p><p>
  <em>In the dream, she was in a house with loud music and tons of people. They were all her age and she even recognized quite a few. They were all drinking , but Callie had no cup in her hand. She just had her phone. Someone had just left her behind at the top of a staircase, so she decided to snap a few pictures. First of this young girl with blonde hair and then of the little group of people at the bottom of the stairs.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>One minute they were on her screen and the next they were gone. And someone else had taken their place.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, Callie." He was looking straight up at her.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Liam." Fear started coursing through her veins at the mere sight of him. He wasn't the least bit surprised to see her, so she guessed that he had been looking for her. For a second or two she hesitated, but then she started for the stairs. She needed to get out of here. To get away from him. Liam was dangerous.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>He met her almost halfway down, where he stood - blocking her path. She stepped sideways, but when he mirrored her movements, she quickly resigned.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Saw your shots on Instagram. You're pretty good with that thing." His face was right in front of hers and his smile was so fake that she wanted to slap him.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"What do you want?" She couldn't look at him. Couldn't even be near him, but she had no control over that last part.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I heard you were asking questions about me, so... I figured I'd save you some time and catch up face-to-face. " She saw his head move as he looked her over. "You look great. Can't believe how much you've grown in two years." Just hearing him comment on her looks in that tone made her skin crawl.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Look, when Sarah said she was staying with your family I was just curious, that's all." She had known that he wouldn't like to hear her asking questions. She had known the risks. This was her own goddamn fault. Now she just needed to assure him that she wasn't up to something and then maybe he would leave her alone.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"So, you missed me?" She felt his fingers graze softly over hers as he tried to take her hand, but she pulled away and stepped around him, now that he wasn't actively blocking the stairs anymore. "I got to go."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She was only halfway around him, when she felt his fingers capture her right wrist. "Hey, I'm talking to you."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>She didn't try to fight him. Fighting Liam was never a good thing. She just turned towards him to relieve the strain on her wrist. "Let go of me." </em>
</p><p>
  <em>"I'm going to say this once, stop asking questions and stay the hell away from Sarah. Got me?" His tone was harsh now and his hold on her wrist was hurtful.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Hey, everything OK here?"</em>
</p><p>She awoke with a start, a pounding headache and rapid breath forcing it's way through her clenched teeth. </p><p>Wyatt's face was still branded in her mind, the way he had looked that night when he had saved her from Liam and right in that moment she longed for the safety of his embrace. But then she remembered that this was all his fault and the longing faded. </p><p>Instead she was left with a melancholy that she didn't quite know how to handle as she stared into the ceiling - frustratingly awake.</p><p>For a few moments this was all she did, but then she felt the ghost of a touch against her fingers. Reflexively she pulled them to her chest and cradled her fingers with her other hand. What was this now? Was she hallucinating? Why on earth was she having <em>this</em> dream? Sure it was the first time she had seen him, since she and Jude had been taken from his house, but if her stupid brain wanted her to have a Liam-nightmare there were plenty of worse situations that it could make her relive.</p><p>And then she saw it. An aspect of all of this that she hadn't even considered until now. Liam had been friendly that night. He had tried to be charming, even if she hadn't been in a mood to appreciate it. He had tried to take her hand...</p><p>What if she had gotten it all wrong from the beginning? What if there was more to this than hurt pride and hormones? What if Liam actually liked her? What if he had actual feelings for her? That would change her perspective on everything. Suddenly she could make sense of some of the oddities from the last couple of weeks. Liam had told her that she was his. He had told her to come home. More than once she had had a feeling that he was hiding something from her. Something important. And it had always been, when she had pleaded with him not to do something. When she had been truly desperate. She had seen a flicker of something on his face, but he had been quick to disguise it. </p><p>Could it have been emotion? </p><p>Somewhere deep inside of her, she knew that she had it right. For some reason, Liam still cared for her. </p><p>Confused she picked up her phone and looked at the display. Then she groaned. She hadn't slept more than half an hour. But since there was no chance of her falling asleep now, she got up from the bed and went to give Daphne her key back.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Chapter 14</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Liam picked her up at the corner at 1 am as usual, her head still hadn't stopped spinning. She hadn't had a chance to sleep since she left Daphne's place, but right now she couldn't be more awake. She had spent the entire afternoon and evening speculating over both Liam and Brandon. And she hadn't gotten anywhere with either of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Now she sat in the car next to Liam and was on her way to his place. It had happened so many times by now that it was starting to feel like an eerie routine, but although she knew that she should, she couldn't make herself worry too much about it at the moment. She didn't even really notice the vibrator that was already nestled inside of her. She had inserted it every night for days, because Liam liked the fact that she was wearing it all the time that she spent with him. And truthfully she liked it better too, since it also meant that Liam wasn't the one to touch her. If she had to wear it, it was the better option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Today she was nervous though. More nervous than she had been for days. She had tossed and turned since she went to bed, trying to find a way to approach her suspicion. She had a feeling that if she was right... If Liam actually cared for her... Then she might be able to use that to her advantage. Use it to keep Jude safe. But to do that, she had to know for sure. And if she was right - everything might very well change on her again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She heard the lock click behind her and felt the vibrator turn on. Business as usual by now and like every other night, she quickly dressed down to her underwear and put her wrists at her back. It was unsettling how quickly she had gotten used to this very unusual situation. But she hadn't tried to fight her awareness either. It wasn't like she could escape these meetings with Liam. Better to not have a panic attack to deal with on top of it all.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt the heat from his body, as he stepped closer and she allowed him to place the leather cuffs on first one and then the other wrist. It was a creepy dance that they had coordinated to perfection by now. But just before he was done and she knew that he would ask her to suck his dick, she broke routine and cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I thought about something today," she said while she stared blindly into the room. She felt Liam stiffen behind her for a second, before he finished with her cuff and let go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What was that?" His deep voice was guarded, but he didn't move around her so that she could see his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wet her lips with her tongue but still hesitated, scared to continue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What was it?" His voice was insistent now and there was an edge to it that convinced her that it would absolutely be better to say this now instead of dragging it out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I had this dream. About... About the night that you found me at that party..." She hesitated again. Cleared her throat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She felt his shirt against her back and his jeans against her hands, when he moved to stand right up against her. "Yes..?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It suddenly felt harder to breathe and she took a moment to force in a deep breath, before she could continue. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You... You tried to take my hand..." She paused again - extremely aware of the way his chest moved against her back, when he breathed. "You asked if I had missed you."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still hadn't gotten to the point, but she wasn't surprised, when she felt Liam's hands on her hips, as he pulled her back against his chest. "Yes..?" His tone was softer now and he leaned his cheek against the side of her head. It sounded like he knew what was coming, but he wasn't letting her off easy. He was waiting for her to say the words herself. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It was only, when I..." </span>
  <em>
    <span>Turned you down. </span>
  </em>
  <em>
  <span>Rejected you.</span>
  </em>
  
  <span> "When I ignored you... When I walked away from you... That you got angry at me..." </span>
  <em>
    
  </em>
  <span>This part wasn't something she had thought about before coming here. But she had a feeling that it might be a good idea to let him think that she understood. "So I started thinking that maybe..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hesitated again, but continued, when she felt his hands glide up to her waist and she felt his lips against her ear in a soft kiss. "Maybe there was more to this than revenge...?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She let the words ring out and the room around them resonated in silence for a few moments. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You're right..." Her heart skipped a beat, when he whispered the words against her ear. "I have never met anyone like you, Callie... I have wanted you to be mine ever since I met you." Now it seemed to be his turn to hesitate after every sentence. "I am still in love with you, Callie."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie swallowed hard - trying to bite back the point that what he had done to her had nothing to do with love. The situation they were in right now would be enough to prove her point. But she held her tongue, because he obviously believed what he was saying. No matter how delusional it was. And she was completely sure that arguing with him now, would only make things harder for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Liam..." She started, but couldn't continue. No matter what she said Liam was still going to do whatever he wanted to do. And Callie was going to let him, to save Jude. It didn't matter why Liam was doing these things. What mattered was that he </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lifted one hand to encompass her breast and she started to feel that little treacherous feeling of arousal again, as the vibrator still hummed lazily against her clit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have longed for you, ever since you ran away from me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie bit the inside of her cheek to not point out that she hadn't run away. That it was his parents that had sent her away because they didn't want her to be with their son. It was like he had concocted this fantasy about what had happened back then and it didn't seem to have much to do with reality. Just like he paid it no notice that he had raped her back then too. Just like he had been crossing her boundaries every chance he got for the last week. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But it did make her see a glimmer of hope in all of this. If - IF - she could convince him that she loved him back... If she could manage to do that... Then there was a chance for her to manage the situation. At least a little. Maybe she could make him feel sorry for her. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe</span>
  </em>
  <span> she could convince him to treat her better. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His hand on her breast moved and when he pinched her nipple through her bra, she made a conscious decision to try to enjoy it. See if she could show him how she appreciated his revelation. So she allowed herself to feel the pleasure in the touch and was surprised, when she gasped lightly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam stiffened for a second and Callie held her breath. Then she felt him move again and a moment later a firm hand had grabbed her throat and was tilting her head back against his shoulder - opening her mouth and positioning it next to his ear. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he pinched her nipple again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This time it was a full blown moan that escaped her lips and she even squirmed against his hold on her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam had stiffened again, but Callie was just as shocked as he seemed to be. Because she wasn't faking any of this. She had been prepared to fake it, but it obviously wasn't necessary. Waves of arousal rolled through her body and pulsated insistently around her pinched nipple and the vibrator against her clit. How could this be?!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam only stayed frozen for a few seconds and then she gasped again, when he bit down on her earlobe. "Finally," he whispered and he sounded extremely pleased with himself. Then he bent down and lifted her up in his arms. When he bent his neck to kiss her, she did her best to kiss him back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She could feel him walking, but she kept her focus on returning his kiss. At least, until he put her down and she realized, it was in his bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An overwhelming fear settled upon her and she looked at him with desperation. "Liam, no..." Her voice was not much more than a whisper, as she begged him not to go back on his promise. How could her attempts to make him less aggressive have resulted in </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span>??</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sat down in the bed beside her and sent her a smile that had more warmth in it than she had seen up until now. "Don't worry, baby. That is not what is happening."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He took off his shoes and then lay down beside her. And since Callie was still in a half seating position, he pulled her down with him, so she rested her head on his arm. They were both on their sides and Liam reached down to grab a hold under her knee. He pulled her close with it and then he pulled her leg up and over his hip. At the same time she felt his warm thigh slip in between her legs and push insistently up against the vibrator. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie whimpered in equal parts arousal and fear of arousal. Faking arousal to try and manipulate Liam was one thing, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>feeling </span>
  </em>
  <span>arousal at his hands was an entirely different thing and it scared her shitless to think that this was what she had been suppressing this whole time. And underneath it all, she wasn't completely sure she trusted Liam to keep his promise.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You like that, baby? Just relax now. Relax and let me make you feel good. Just like you have made me feel good."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He used the arm under her head to also hold her close to his chest and with her arms still secure on her back, there honestly wasn't much that she could do to avoid it. It was obvious from what he said that Liam intended to make her cum, so when she felt his other hand snake it's way up along her side, she wasn't surprised when it ended up resting on top of her breast. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still felt no urge whatsoever to have her first orgasm at his hands, but she also wasn't sure that she could stop him. Or herself. His thigh pressed enough against the vibrator to make it rub harder over her clit and the feeling of something warm and solid between her thighs seemed to excite her more than she would have ever imagined. When he kissed her again and pinched her nipple, it was all she could do, not to moan against his lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This is a good thing,</span>
  </em>
  <span> she tried to tell herself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>It doesn't matter that this wasn't the way you imagined it. If you let go, you might convince him that you love him back and then Jude will be safer. Don't think too much about it. Just let it happen. Let it happen for Jude. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>And so she did. She ignored her tied back arms and her forced semi nudity and she closed her eyes. She closed her eyes and thought of Brandon. How she would feel, if it was Brandon kissing her. If it was Brandon pinching her nipple like this. If it was Brandon, who was inside of her now. And she moaned.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It came out softly in the beginning, but grew quickly louder and when he started grinding against her, she allowed herself to do the same. The vibrator was sending strong waves of excitement through her body and grinding it against him, made her whimper in need. Suddenly she could feel how she had needed this. Badly. For days. Maybe for forever. She had been so tightly wound for so long and somehow she just knew that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> would take some of the pressure away. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> would be exactly what she needed. Her anxiety and her worries had been left behind somewhere that she could no longer visit and she felt free - chasing a high that she had never even tasted before. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Her moans grew in intensity and her entire body was now occupied trying to push her over that last hilltop. A sheen of perspiration covered her forehead and she moved willingly along with the movements of his hips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was now. She was almost there.. Almost..</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A hard tug of her hair broke through her daze. "Look at me! Right now. Open your eyes!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Without thinking about it, she did as she was told and opened her eyes. His eyes - blue as diamonds made of ice - met hers and her fantasy left her. Brandon's eyes were green. This was Liam. The feeling of freedom evaporated and instead she felt trapped. Bound as she was, she couldn't move away and by demanding that she look into his eyes, he had also trapped her soul.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And then he ground his pelvis against hers again in a slow, deliberate movement, while he kept her eyes locked in with his. And the smallest and most surprised of whimpers rolled over her lips when he reignited her arousal. Somehow she felt everything more intensely now, because she was so aware of her bonds. Being unable to stop this somehow made her crave it even more and when he moved back and started his slow rolling movement again, she couldn't do anything to stop it from happening. His thigh pushed the vibrator up and deeper into her - somehow hitting a spot in there that made her see stars - while the small part of it buzzed away on her clit and sent her even higher. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Liam was everywhere around her and it even felt like he was in her too, when her whimper rose into a low scream and her entire body went rigid against him. And then she finally closed her eyes and shut him out to ride out the euphoria on her own.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn't until a little while later that she realized that he had continued to grind slowly against her and she hadn't realized that they were kissing again either. The entire world had just been shut out of her head, while she orgasmed and she was still panting softly from the strain of it. Her body hummed happily and it even felt nice to be held this close, while she was returned to her old body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His lips were soft against hers now and his kisses were slow and comforting. Their bodies were still deeply entangled, but he didn't move away, so neither did she. It wasn't like it was up to her anyway. And besides. It seemed like her plan might have worked. At least a little. No sense in destroying that now. Instead she hesitated after another slow kiss and placed a soft kiss at the corner of his mouth. "Thank you," she whispered and sought deeper into his embrace. He welcomed her and held her close - kissing the corner of her eye. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was obviously still very aroused, but he seemed content at the moment and she wasn't going to push him. Instead she tried to advance her plan a little more. "I didn't... I thought..." She wasn't sure what to say exactly, but it didn't seem to matter all that much either.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know," he whispered softly. "You didn't think that you could feel like that with me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nodded in agreement without pulling out of his embrace. It was even true. She had definitely not thought that Liam would be able to make her feel this kind of pleasure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that thought, her contented state lifted a little. What had just happened? </span>
  <em>
    <span>How</span>
  </em>
  <span> had he made her cum like that? It was one thing to let it happen while thinking about Brandon, but Liam had made damn sure that she had been thinking about him, when it counted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She moved around uncomfortably and to her surprise, Liam released her with one last kiss and suggested that he take her home.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They had said next to nothing on the drive back to her foster home and Callie hadn't complained. She had been trying really hard to seem at least somewhat normal, so that Liam wouldn't suspect how freaked out she was about this new development. She wanted him to think that she could love him, so she couldn't freak out close to him. She would have to wait, until she was alone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But walking from the usual spot to the house hadn't opened up a can of worms and given how much she needed to sleep, she decided that it might just be better to go to bed and deal with it all in the morning. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>So she let herself in as quietly as possible and slipped out of her shoes. Careful not to make any noise she went upstairs and into her bedroom. On her tiptoes she then turned around and closed the door as quietly as possible... And then she heard a click behind her and saw the room bathed in light from Mariana's night lamp. She turned around with a sense of foreboding to see Mariana wide awake, cross-armed and obviously waiting for her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Aren't you home a little early tonight?"</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Chapter 15</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys!<br/>Hope you are still enjoying this! I am at least ^^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Callie's heart was instantly sent into overdrive at the thought of what Mariana might have figured out. But years of practice from her former foster homes helped her pull off a little laugh as she tried to play it cool and pretend like she hadn't done anything wrong. "Mariana." Surprise colored her voice. "What do you mean?"</p><p>"Don't play dumb with me." Mariana was clearly in a bad mood. "You have been sneaking out every night for a week now. What is going on?!"</p><p>Callie had been with the Fosters long enough by now that she knew what was happening. Mariana was getting ready to ream her out. This wasn't the first time that Callie had tried it and it usually happened, when Mariana was fed up with being kept out of the loop. Unfortunately.. This time Callie couldn't bring her inside the loop. Not that Mariana would even want that, if she knew what she was asking.</p><p>"Nothing is going on," Callie said in an exasperated tone and started dressing down for bed. "I just haven't been sleeping well. It helps going for a walk." That was a good explanation and as soon as she had thought of it, Callie decided to stick to it.</p><p>"Liar!" The word was flung across the room and with so much hurt in it that Callie had to take a step back. "You don't have trouble sleeping. You fall asleep as soon as you close your eyes! You have been dead on your feet the whole week."</p><p>Mariana got up from the bed now and walked close to Callie. Her voice dropped from hysterical to persuasive and her eyes bore into Callie's in the dimly lit room. "I thought we had become sisters." Her voice was hurt and Callie had to fight not to look away from the tears in her eyes. Mariana gathered up her hands and gave them a soft squeeze. "You're hurting and we all know it. Please just tell me what is going on."</p><p>Callie felt her defenses go up almost as a physical thing to shield her from the hurt that Mariana's words threatened to inflict on her. She took half a step back, but Mariana wouldn't let go of her hands and Callie couldn't make herself just rip them out of her grip. Mariana had chosen exactly the right way to approach this, because Callie felt rotten for even thinking about lying right now. But she also knew that she had to. "There is nothing to tell," she said, trying to sound confident instead of scared. Mariana could be incredibly perceptive and Callie feared that this might be just such a moment. But at the same time her heart bled, because she was letting Mariana down. Hurting her. But she couldn't tell her anything.</p><p>Mariana was no good at keeping secrets in general. This was not a secret she could trust her with. She knew that her best bet to calming Mariana down would be to hug her and assure her that of course they were sisters and that everything was gonna be alright. But she didn't trust herself to be convincing enough right now. Mariana had caught her on a bad night. Or maybe it just wasn't how she felt right now. Mariana had been her confidant for so long that their friendship felt broken, now that she had to lie to her. Like everything else they had together was a lie too.</p><p>"Just go back to bed Mariana," she said instead and took off her socks as an excuse to pull her shaking hands out of her sister's grip. "We both need to get some sleep."</p><p>Callie looked at her feet instead of at Mariana for a while, but she could practically feel the emotions rolling off her sister, as she kept standing there in the middle of their room. Rejection. Hurt. Anger. Defiance...</p><p>"Fine! If there really is nothing wrong, then you won't mind me telling Moms, so they can take you to see a doctor." Callie's head whipped up and she stared horrified at Mariana, who had her arms defensively crossed over her chest again.</p><p>"Mariana, no..." Callie was almost begging and she could see Mariana waver in her decision... But when Callie didn't reach out or try to explain, her face hardened again. "You might not want to talk to me about it, but you are going to talk to <em>someone</em>."</p><p>As Mariana spun around and reached for the door, Callie jumped to her feet to stop her. She took a half step forward - Mariana's name on her lips - when suddenly her head spun uncontrollably. She staggered forward to catch Mariana, but she couldn't feel her legs to move them. Instead she saw how the room shifted upwards and then the fuzzy, black edges of her vision closed in around her.</p><p>----------------------</p><p>Callie woke to an annoying muted <em>*beep* </em>that kept repeating itself over and over again in slow intervals. It was bright around her and she had to blink several times before she was able to focus on anything else.</p><p>It took her only a few seconds to realize that she was laying in a hospital bed. She was in a private room and she had an IV attached to the backside of one hand and a few electrodes attached to her chest. This was what caused the beeping noise.</p><p>Stef slept seemingly uncomfortably in a chair next to her and Callie was surprised to see Robert sitting at the far end of the room, looking quietly out the window - a worried expression on his face.</p><p>Guilt and fear rivaled for dominance within her and she wished more than anything to be away from this room and the conversation she knew, she wouldn't be able to avoid now. But her throat was parched and even though she cleared it as quietly as possible, Robert heard her and looked over to see her awake. When he got up to approach her, Stef stirred and was quickly wide awake too. "Oh honey!" Stef scooped her determinant into a tight embrace and Callie's heart throbbed sadly against her ribs, when she had to hold back tears with all her might.</p><p>Stef didn't notice the lack of emotion from Callie, but just kept holding her close. "You gave us such a scare. Don't ever do that to us again!" Finally she pulled back just soon enough for Callie to wish that she never had. Now Stef turned those examining eyes onto her face and Callie steeled herself for what was to come.</p><p>"What happened, luv? The doctor says that your blood sugar was so low that he doesn't think you have been eating enough for days, maybe even weeks." She cradled Callie's face with a hand on either side and her direct gaze was warning her to tell the truth. But if she did, she would be putting Jude at risk and she just couldn't do that. So she pulled back from Stef and lay back down on her pillow. Hurt flashed across Stef's face for a second before she composed herself, but Callie still had to turn her head away not to see any more.</p><p>"I just haven't been feeling well," she lied and blinked hard a few times to get her emotions under control. She ignored it, when Robert moved his chair to sit down on the other side of her bed. He hadn't moved close enough that he interrupted her stare at the wall, but he was close enough that she could see him out of her peripheral vision.</p><p>"If that was true, why haven't you told us, luv?" Stef was still the one asking the questions, while Robert just quietly observed. "Maybe a visit to the doctor earlier could have fixed it."</p><p>At that statement an un-amused snort escaped her lips before she could stop it. Even though Stef had no idea what she was talking about, it was still idiotic to think that a doctor could have 'fixed' her issues with Liam with just a wave of his magic wand.</p><p>But Stef was over her like a hawk. "What? Why is that funny?" Callie shrugged and decided that her best bet would be to just not say anything more.</p><p>"Mariana has told us that you have been sneaking out at night all week." The words were calm, but Callie could hear the disappointment in them and she swallowed hard, but still kept up her stare at the wall and her silence.</p><p>"So what is it? Have you been seeing someone we don't know about?" Stef paused to let her speak but Callie couldn't, even if she had wanted to. Stef's guess was much too close to the truth for Callie to say anything.</p><p>"What is it, Callie?" Stef's voice was insistent now. "What could possibly have happened in the last few weeks to have alienated you from us like this?!" Callie felt Stef's hand clutch at her shoulder and she could almost hear how long Stef had longed to ask that question. But it still didn't mean that Callie could answer.</p><p>A few other failed attempts later, Stef rose to her feet in frustration. For a moment Callie could feel her just standing there, looming over her. But then she exhaled loudly and the tension dissolved in the room. Stef leaned in close to stroke her hair once and Callie bit the inside of her cheek to not cry and lean into it. "I have to go call Mama and tell her that you are alright. I'll be right back." The promise was sealed with a kiss to Callie's forehead and then she left the room.</p><p>For a few minutes the room was silent, while Callie stared at the wall and Robert stared at Callie. Then he spoke.</p><p>"When I was your age, I didn't get on well with my father. Still don't actually.." He waited for a reaction from Callie, but continued when she didn't move. "He didn't believe that teenagers could have secrets that were important enough that he shouldn't be told about them." He hesitated again for a few seconds.</p><p>"I don't know what is going on Callie. And you don't have to tell me, if you don't want to." Callie's eyes flickered to his face in surprise and they stayed there, when his words seemed to be genuine. "All I know, is that I am hurting - deeply - just from seeing you like this." She saw tears in his eyes now and she had to swallow again.</p><p>"Whatever you are doing right now is not good for you or for anyone else..." She looked away again, when he just started stating the obvious and he cut himself off. Then he cleared his throat and continued.</p><p>"I want to help you.. Anyway I possibly can. Is it money you need? A tutor? A lawyer?" His voice got more and more pleading with each suggestion and she could see him leaning forward, though not trying to touch her. "Just tell me, what I can do to help you, please...!"</p><p>And just as he said that, a thought popped into her head. It was a miserable and heartbreaking thought, but she couldn't see any other way out of all of this right now. Because Robert was right. She <em>was </em>hurting her family. She was hurting not only herself, but Jude. Mariana. Stef and Lena. Brandon. Maybe even Jesus... But maybe there was a way to protect them from that...</p><p>She swallowed hard a few times and when she finally made her lips form the question, she still looked directly into the wall instead of at Robert.</p><p>"Can I come and live with you?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I know, I know.. But even I couldn't see any way around it.<br/>You can always take your frustration out on me in the comments x)</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Chapter 16</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I am still working on this fic, so don't worry &lt;3 Hope you like this chapter ^^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Robert seemed to have been stunned into silence, but Callie couldn't make herself look at him. This was a crazy idea. It might be the worst idea she had ever had. It would hurt them all even worse than they were right now, if she went to live with Robert. But she couldn't escape the reasoning that had let her to her question. Every day like this that she spent with her family would poison her relationship with them. They would resent her for not opening up to them and they knew her so well that she wouldn't be able to hide her pain from them. The last week had made that abundantly clear. Coming to live with Robert would give her some space to exist in, while she tried to find a way for this all to work out. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What?" Robert had finally found his voice again, but he sounded more shocked than Callie had guessed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She swallowed hard and tried to ignore the voice inside her head that told her that he didn't want to invite her into his home. It was the same voice that always made her doubt the intentions of people and she was beginning to learn not to trust it. But it was still very hard to make her lips move again. "Can I come live with you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She still didn't look in his direction, but she could see him getting up from his chair and take a seat at the edge of her bed instead. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Is that really what you want?" His voice had a bit of insecurity in it that matched Callie's own and that made her feel less afraid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I think it would help me, not to live with the Fosters right now." She sidestepped the question instead of answering so she wouldn't have to lie. Besides. If Robert was willing to let her keep her secret, then it might get easier to live with it too. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Callie.." He hesitated again and she couldn't help but glance up at his face - just to see which emotions were there. Most of all he seemed a little lost. But there was also a flicker of hope there. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Callie, are you sure that this is the solution?" he asked in an indecisive tone. "For weeks now you have been asking me to sign the abandonment papers, because you wanted to live with Stef and Lena... I mean.. Of course you can live with us.. I would love that... But... Are you sure?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn't looked away from him, while he spoke and she recognized the fear of abandonment that was so plain on his face as a twin of her own. So she nodded a little while they looked at each other. "Things have changed," she allowed herself to say - trusting that he had meant it when he said she didn't have to tell him her secret. Then she took his hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze. "I'm sure."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Saying the words were harder than she would have thought and she bit down on the inside of her cheek again - so hard that she tasted blood. She couldn't let him see how close she was to crying. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a while they just stayed like that - feeling each other out. And then finally Robert exhaled loudly and nodded too. "Alright. We should probably ..."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He cut himself off, when the door opened and Stef reentered the room. She halted a few steps in and Callie saw her eyes flick to their joined hands. Carefully she drew her hand away from his.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What's going on?" As always Stef preferred to address the elephant in the room rather than ignore it. Callie looked at Robert with pleading eyes. It might be the only available solution to her, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words in front of Stef.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Robert hesitated a moment too, but then pulled himself together and looked first at Callie and then at Stef. "Callie just asked me if she could come and live with me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie couldn't look, but she sensed how Stef just froze in place. It was almost impossible for her to breathe, while she waited for Stef's reaction.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Robert, can I talk to you outside, please?" Stef's voice was careful and controlled, but Callie could still hear the iron in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes, of course." Robert sent Callie a tense little smile and then followed Stef out into the hallway and closed the door behind them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At first it was quiet, but soon she heard muffled angry voices arguing from the hall. Callie swallowed down a lump in her throat. She couldn't make out much, but at one point she heard Stef saying ".. in no condition to make this kind of decision .." and soon after she heard Robert yelling "Look, I am just doing what I think is best for MY daughter!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At that point Callie laid down in the bed with her back to the door, closed her eyes and put her pillow over her head in an effort not to hear any more.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>----------------</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She wasn't sure how long she had held that pose, but when she opened her eyes again, she saw Lena sitting in the chair beside her bed. The light from outside had dimmed and Callie would guess that it was early evening by now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She almost smiled at Lena, before she caught it, when she remembered that things between them were too complicated for smiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Heeey honey." Lena surprised her by leaning in to stroke her hair. The rush of emotion was so sudden that she couldn't force back the tears that now gathered in her eyelashes, when she blinked. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," she croaked and looked up at Lena, who didn't seem the least bit angry or disappointed with her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How are you feeling?" As always, Lena brought with her a calm and almost healing atmosphere that Callie was in no condition to withstand. The tears started to roll down silently into her pillow and Callie thought it best not to answer.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Mom told me what you asked of Robert." Lena was still stroking her hair and Callie was more confused than ever over her own feelings when more tears followed the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh honey..." Callie could hear that she distressed Lena with her tears, but she couldn't make them stop. And before she could even try, Lena had moved from the chair to Callie's bed, where she resolutely made room for herself and lay down with Callie in a tight embrace. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You know that Mom and I love you very much, right?" Lena was stroking her hair again and Callie nodded, while she tried to choke back the sobs that threatened to spill over her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good." Callie felt Lena's lips in her hair, when she placed a kiss on top of her head. "And I want you to know that no matter what you choose, you will always be a part of our family." She started stroking Callie's hair again in slow movements and Callie sniffled. "We just really want to understand why you feel the need to make this choice."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The words forced Callie to retract herself a little from the situation. It was clear that Lena also wanted her to tell her her secret and Callie needed to be on her guard to make sure that she wouldn't give anything away. It allowed Callie to regain a little control, but she still didn't pull away from the embrace.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>For a moment the silence dragged on until Lena spoke again.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"When you came here last night, I was asked to change your clothes and..." Lena hesitated, while Callie wondered, where this line of questioning was going. "It's.. I don't know exactly how to phrase this. Well, frankly I would like to ask you, if all of this somehow has anything to do with that vibrator I found."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Deep shame and mortification washed over Callie, when she realized just </span>
  <em>
    <span>where </span>
  </em>
  <span>Lena would have 'found' the vibrator. For a moment, she had trouble breathing, while she tried to figure out what to answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hadn't even given the vibrator a thought since she woke up. And suddenly she realized that she hadn't given Liam a thought either. He would be picking her up in just a few hours back home and when she wouldn't be there, he would be angry with her. She would have to get a message to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you know where my phone is?" She cleared her throat and pulled back a little from Lena's embrace. She knew that she was disappointing Lena again, but it wasn't like she was going to answer her question even if it had nothing to do with Liam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Yes. Mom has it. And we have decided that you won't be getting it back just yet." Ice pumped through Callie's veins as Lena said those words. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Why?!" Callie pulled out of the embrace altogether and Lena didn't try to hold on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Because we think it is important that you take this time to rest and heal," Lena replied and looked at Callie with earnest. "You collapsed from what seems to be sheer exhaustion."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie felt her pulse quicken and she made an effort to breathe properly as she looked up at Lena with almost begging eyes. "I will take it easy," she promised insistently and one of her hands found Lena's wrist which she grabbed tightly. "Please. I need my phone!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shock mixed with concern on Lena's face and for a moment it was like she couldn't say anything at all. Then she regained her composure and her eyes were serious when she finally spoke. "Judging by your reaction, I think we made the right decision." She seemed to be making an effort to speak calmly, even as Callie felt new tears streaming down her face. "Unless you can tell me, what is so important to you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie recognized the words for what they were. Yet another attempt to make her tell them what was going on. So she pressed her lips firmly together and turned her back to Lena in the bed. What was she supposed to do now? Liam was many things, but patient wasn't one of them. For a while she pressed her palms to her forehead, trying to keep her panic from spilling out. She wasn't sure how long she was going to be here. Or how long it would take for Liam to become angry enough to make good on his threat. Either way it wasn't a chance that she could take.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do you think... Could Jude stay here with me. While I get better?" She made her tone small and pleading - playing the emotionally unstable role came more naturally than she would have wished. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>There was silence for a little bit while Lena thought. Callie wished that she could see Lena's face so she would know what she thought of her request, but with her back turned to her, it wasn't really an option.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll ask him," Lena finally responded and Callie felt a little bit better. She was almost sure that Jude would come to her, when she asked. If she was lucky, she might even be able to persuade him to let her borrow his phone. She might not remember Liam's number, but she could always find him on instagram at least.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Callie slept again after Lena had left her alone. She was sleeping so much now that she realized just how hard all of this had been on her. Not that she could actually do anything about it. But she would have to find a way to ask Liam for more time to sleep in the future. At least he would understand that she couldn't just go around collapsing if he wanted to keep their relationship a secret.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As Callie had guessed, Jude agreed to come stay with her while she recovered. A nurse even came by with a second bed for him to sleep in and Callie suspected that Robert was pouring some funds into her hospital stay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It turned out though that Lena had predicted that Callie would want to borrow Jude's phone, so he hadn't been allowed to bring it with him. Stef, Lena and Robert took turns on watching her through the next day and Callie tried to pretend that she wasn't riddled with fear over how Liam had taken her absence. Stef also made her promise that they wouldn't say anything to her siblings just yet about her decision to go live with Robert. Callie suspected it to be in an attempt to make her change her mind, but she wasn't angry with them for it. Instead she held the knowledge that they were sad to see her go, tight and let it wash over her, when things got overwhelming for her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the third day she was discharged into Stef and Lena's care, but not before Robert had promised her he would start the paperwork for him to get custody. That made Callie both relieved and sad for obvious reasons, but she was at least soon going to see an end on this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stef still wasn't letting her have her phone back and she had been ordered on bed rest for a few days more to make sure that she had recovered completely from her exhaustion. But it was obvious that Stef and Lena didn't trust her enough right now to just take her word for it, when she promised not to go out at night. Stef had arranged an air mattress in the hallway and this was where she slept in the night to make sure that Callie wasn't sneaking out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The reaction from Liam arrived after only five days of radio silence - although she was the only one who was able to connect the dots. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was sitting in the living room with Lena, when they heard the front door open and close and then Jude was suddenly standing in the doorway with tears streaming down his face. "Mama..?" His tone was pleading and it cut Callie deeper than she thought possible that he had asked for Lena and not her. But she got up, when Lena did and although Lena got to be the one to take him in her arms, Callie ran her fingers through his hair, while she was scrutinizing him to see if he had any visible marks on his skin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What happened Jude?" Lena's tone was serious as she also looked him over and Callie envied Jude how he was able to just answer that question without complications.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It's Connor..." The silent tears turned into sobs although Callie sighed quietly in relief. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What about Connor honey? Did you guys have another fight?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Jude shook his head and his sobs told them both that something was very wrong. "Someone attacked him on his way home from school yesterday... He is in the hospital..."</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Things aren't really going according to plan for either Callie nor Liam at the moment. Hopefully things will get straightened out in the next chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. Chapter 17</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Warning. In this chapter Callie will have a flash back to what happened, when Liam came into her room, when she was living with his family. </p><p>This means explicit very underage and non-con elements! If you prefer not to read it, you can skip over the part of the story between the * * * ^^ You won't miss out on anything plot related.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Callie was back at the hospital for the second time this week and this time she felt even worse than she had, when she had just collapsed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Connor had been attacked. And it might be because of her. Jude was scared and hadn't let go of Lena's hand since he got home and told them the bad news. And it was weird, because that hand holding was making Callie almost as sad as the fact that Connor was in surgery right now because of his injuries. It hurt her deeply to discover that she was no longer the person that Jude found comfort with. She wasn't his rock anymore. Not his only rock anyway. And she did her best to see this in a positive light. It was good that he had Lena and everybody else, now that she would have to leave him to stay with Robert. It was good that he wouldn't feel alone anymore, no matter what happened. But it still cut her deeply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Stef was at home with the other kids, so it was just the three of them, sitting in the waiting room and hoping for good news. They hadn't seen Connor's dad yet, although they knew that he was here somewhere. It was kind of a blessing for Callie, because she wasn't sure that she could bear to see his anguish and know that she was to blame for it. Of course there was still a possibility that this had nothing to do with Liam, although she didn't really believe it. But there was a slim chance that this was nothing more than a horrible coincidence. She had a feeling that she would know, as soon as she eventually got a hold of Liam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Almost an hour had passed, when Connor's dad walked into the waiting room. His face was still stunned with shock and Lena immediately got up and walked to him - towing Jude behind her as he was still gripping her hand tight. "Mr. Stevens, I can't even begin to tell you how sorry I am about what happened to your son. If there is anything we can do - anything at all - please let me know."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He seemed surprised to see them sitting there and for a moment, he didn't do anything but blink a few times as if trying to understand what was happening. Then he cleared his throat and looked at Lena. "I... I still can't understand how this could happen." He sounded like a confused little boy and Callie felt like she couldn't breathe. Connor's dad had always seemed so fierce. Almost terrifying. Seeing him like this made her feel almost as panicked as he looked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She got up and mumbled something about a vending machine, before she walked out of the waiting room and half ran down the hall with a hand clasped firmly over her mouth so that she wouldn't start crying, until she was somewhere safe. In a niche next to an emergency exit, she actually found a vending machine and she pressed herself into the dark little corner beside it and tried to regain control over herself. She was breathing rapidly and her heart was racing faster than ever. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was doing her best not to trigger a full blown panic attack, when she heard the doors open and close and then recognized Lena's voice. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"... better to talk about this in private." She sounded serious although she was using her comforting voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I know that I should try to keep myself together." Connor's dad was obviously with her and Callie forgot about her own panic and was captivated by the sound of his instead.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"It is perfectly normal for you to be terrified right now," Lena assured him. "I can't even imagine if this had been Jude or Jesus." Her voice broke a little and Callie bit the inside of her cheek in an effort to keep her own panic locked up inside of her at that image. Because she very well knew that it could have been Jude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Nobody has been able to speak with him yet. He was just found lying beaten and bloody in the park!" His panic subsided for a second and gave way for some of the rage that he felt at this fact. "He.. He..." There was a moment of silence and then Callie heard his voice break and his next words were almost incomprehensible, because of the sobs that he could no longer keep in. "They told me that he was raped!"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A gasp that was equal parts shock and distress let her know Lena's reaction, but Callie was too wound up in her own to notice. She had clasped her hands in front of her mouth and she could feel tears run down her cheeks, as she slowly sank down until she sat on the floor with her back against the vending machine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Raped. Connor had been </span>
  <em>
    <span>raped</span>
  </em>
  <span>. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Memories, that she usually had buried so deep that she could almost forget that they ever happened, suddenly flooded her mind and she wasn't able to stop them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>* * * * *</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had been in her bed that night and had almost fallen asleep,  when the darkness of the room was pierced, as the door opened and let in light from the hallway. She had had to blink a few times to be able to focus, but when she had recognized Liam's figure in the doorway, she had smiled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Shouldn't you be in bed right now?" she had asked and had sat up in her bed - moving her feet to the side to make room for him beside her. She was speaking in a low voice so that his parents wouldn't be able to hear her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Slowly and very carefully, Liam closed the door behind him and the darkness engulfed them both as he came into the room and sat down on the bed. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I couldn't stop thinking about you," he had said and Callie had felt a flood of love fill her up from within.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Really?" she had asked - nothing but smile and happiness in her voice, as she raised herself up to her knees and straddled him in the darkness. She had put her hands on either side of his neck and their lips had found each other in a heated kiss. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just being this near to Liam had made her dizzy back then and she had clung to him like a drowning man to a raft, while their breathing became heavier and their kisses became longer and more intense. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had felt his hand moving up underneath her t-shirt and she had whined quietly against his lips, when she felt his hand cover her bare breast and she had allowed him to twist them around so that he could lay her down on her bed again - this time with him on top of her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had massaged her breast for a while. It had been nice. Wonderful even. She had felt like the luckiest girl in the world for having Liam in her life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Let's make love." His dark voice had been even darker than usual that night and Callie remembered having pulled away from his searching lips.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I.. I can't" she had admitted after a moment - feeling horrible about denying him anything he really wanted. "I'm.. I'm not ready yet."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She remembered hearing him chuckle a little and she had allowed herself a smile too, even if she hadn't known what they had been smiling about. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Oh Callie. Of course you are ready." She had jumped, when she had felt his searching fingers between her legs and she had shrieked a little, when she had felt one of his fingers slipping in under her panties to touch her opening. She had been able to feel it sliding around down there, before he had pulled his finger back again and had shown it to her in the dark. "See? You are more than ready for me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had given a nervous chuckle - feeling immensely embarrassed about the whole thing - and had then shook her head. "That's not what I meant," she had tried to clarify, but his lips had been covering hers again and she couldn't say another word. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had started to feel fear. She had suddenly been scared that Liam wasn't going to stop. And why should he? He had no doubt been right in assuming that she had been wet for him. Very wet, actually. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Don't worry Callie," he had whispered into her ear. "It won't hurt much. And only in the beginning. I will even use a condom. You do love me, right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Of course I do, but ..." His lips had been over hers again and she had felt his hand between their legs. She had felt trapped. Liam had been lying on top of her and his lips had been on hers all the time. She hadn't been able to argue and she hadn't even been sure that she wanted to. Because she </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> loved him. And she usually had just wanted to give him anything he needed. Just not this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had spent a little time putting on a condom, while Callie had tried to turn her head away so that she could speak, but with no luck. She had squirmed violently beneath him, when she had felt him push her panties aside and then she had felt something hard and warm pressing against her entrance. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The pressure between her legs had paralyzed her. She hadn't even hit him, as she had felt him start to move back and forth inside of her - driving himself in a little further with each thrust. All she had been able to do, was lie completely still while she focused intently on being okay with this. She loved him and she had even been the one who started to kiss </span>
  <em>
    <span>him</span>
  </em>
  <span>. She had tried to convince herself that it was probably just nerves. That this was just something that she needed to try and then she would be okay. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He had continued to kiss her and she had tried to kiss him back. It had been their first time after all and she wanted it to be good. She had whimpered again and again, when his forceful thrusts had stretched her wider than was comfortable, but he had shushed her every time in a low and comforting tone and she had tried her very best not to whimper again. But she had. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She had never been able to remember if there had been a hymen for him to pop. In the midst of everything she simply hadn't noticed. She had been far too preoccupied with other feelings. She had forced out a moan once in a while - she had even felt pleasure once or twice. But then he would move again and it would make her wince in pain.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Eventually he was completely buried in her and she had felt uncomfortably stretched out around him. She had thought that she could feel a pulse throbbing in the area that engulfed him. But Liam had finally stopped and had just been lying there with her legs on either side of him. She remembered how he had caressed her hair and kissed the tip of her nose as if she had been his most valuable possession. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I love you so much, Callie." The words came to her now as if they had been spoken yesterday and not years ago. "You are the most amazing girl in the world." And even then... Even in the middle of this intercourse that she still didn't want... She had still felt her heart radiate the love that she had felt for him. "I love you too Liam," she had whispered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It hadn't taken long for him to finish after that and they had even lain in a tight embrace for several minutes afterwards, until Liam had gotten up and had walked back to his own room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>* * * * * </span>
</p><p>
  <span>With force, Callie pulled herself out of the memory and back into reality. She had her legs bend protectively up against her chest and she had grabbed her knees tightly with her arms. She was still panting from the flashback and she tasted blood in her mouth from biting the inside of her cheek. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It had been months since she had been triggered enough to bring up that specific memory and she wasn't happy that it had happened now, when she needed to keep things together. But she understood why. Connor had just been through the same. Actually he had been through worse. Even though Liam had forced himself on her, he had still been kind. Connor however was in surgery. That made a world of difference. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>This could have been Jude.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The thought was clear and undeniable and although she had thought it already, this was the first time that she allowed herself to feel what that would have meant to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She would have to find a way to contact Liam. It couldn't wait any more. She was thoroughly disgusted by him for doing this to Connor, but still not as much as she was with herself. She had made sure that Jude was with her. She had tried to protect him. She had felt relatively safe that she could wait to contact Liam, until the opportunity revealed itself to her. She had allowed herself time to rest instead of finding a way to let him know what was going on. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And now Connor had paid the price for her foolishness. She had no idea how badly he was hurt. Maybe he wasn't even going to make it. After all, he had been in surgery for a long time now. Even if he did, he might have long term injuries. She could easily have ruined his entire life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It couldn't wait anymore.  With determination she pushed herself up from the floor and dried her cheeks with her sleeve. She peeked around the corner and realized that Lena and Connor's dad apparently had gone back into the waiting room without her noticing. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She started to slowly go up and down the halls of the hospital, until she found what she had been looking for. In an empty room stood a laptop, logged in and everything. The bed next to it was messy and she had a feeling that the occupant may have been rushed somewhere else. But she didn't have time to think about it. Instead she logged on instagram, found Liam and sent him a DM.</span>
</p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>I collapsed after seeing you. Was taken to the hospital. Am under house arrest. Working to find a way. Please don't hurt anybody else.</p></div></div><p>
  <span>She hit send and was hovering the mouse over the log out button - just in case someone should walk in on her. But nobody did and a moment later she got a single sentence as a reply.</span>
</p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>Not good enough.</p></div></div><p>
  <span>Her heart sank and she was suddenly aware of just how dry her mouth was. </span>
</p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>I don't have access to phones or computers. My foster mom is sleeping outside my door. There isn't anything I can do right now. But I am moving soon. Will be easier then.</p></div></div><p>
  <span>She hadn't planned on telling him that, but she needed to tell him </span>
  <em>
    <span>something, </span>
  </em>
  <span>if she was going to have a chance to convince him to give her some time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His reply was excruciatingly slow, but finally another DM appeared on the screen.</span>
</p>
<p></p><div class="font-monospace">
<p></p><div class="indent"><p>I will give you one week. Make it happen. </p></div></div>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you to all of my commentors &lt;3 You keep me tied to this story :-*</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Chapter 18</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>The next couple of chapters will be heavier on the "Foster's" part of the plot, since Liam has given Callie some time to sort things out. But don't worry too much. Liam isn't someone we can ignore for long ^^</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Late in the evening, Connor finally got out of surgery. He would pull through but it was too soon to tell if there would be any permanent injuries, which made Callie feel sick to her stomach. This may not have been her doing, but she was still the cause for it and she had been warned. The only bright spot was that when Connor's dad told them the news, Jude had turned to <em>her </em>for a hug and not Lena. She had held him tight while he clung to her and she had tried to shoulder some of his hurt.</p><p>They all drove home after that and Callie walked upstairs with Jude to make sure that he got to bed alright. He was so exhausted from the day that he had had that he could hardly stand on his feet and Callie helped him with his shoes and tugged him in. Jesus was already sleeping, so she just sat at the edge of Jude's bed and held his hand, while he tried to fall asleep.</p><p>"Why do you think this happened?" he whispered after a while and Callie could hear that he was on the verge of crying again. She scooted in a little closer and stroked his hair with gentle fingers, while she tried to ignore her own guilt and shame so that she could give him the answer that he was looking for.</p><p>"I don't know, bub. Sometimes bad people just do bad things to good people."</p><p>"Does that mean that it could happen to me too?" His voice was trembling and in his eyes Callie suddenly saw the shadow of the boy he had been all those years ago, when their mother had died.</p><p>"No," she replied and forced herself not to allow her mind to go there. Not now when she needed to comfort him. "You know that I will never let anything bad happen to you. I will always protect you."</p><p>"But you can't protect me from something like this. It was just a random attack."</p><p>Callie squeezed his hand tight and looked into his eyes. "It doesn't matter. I will always find a way to protect you." She wanted so badly to tell him that it hadn't been a random attack. That he had nothing to be afraid of. She hated the fear that he would have to live with now because of this. But it was far too dangerous to tell him that. He would probably tell someone that she knew something and even worse, he would most likely resent her for having done this to Connor. It was far better to keep quiet and keep Jude safe. She couldn't change what had happened to Connor anyway. All she could do was make sure that it never happened to anyone because of her again.</p><p>Eventually Jude fell asleep and Callie got up - careful not to make any sounds - and then she went out into the hallway.</p><p>At the head of the stairs stood Stef who shot her a tired smile. "Do you mind coming downstairs, luv?"</p><p>Callie had no trouble figuring out what this was about and frankly she wasn't up for it. "Can't it wait until tomorrow? I am really tired."</p><p>The answering half-smile-half-grimace that Stef sent her was definitely at 'no' and Callie sighed, but shuffled on down the stairs with Stef right behind her. Lena sat in the living room and Callie went to sit in one of the chairs. Of course she had known that this conversation would be inevitable, but she still wasn't prepared for it.</p><p>Stef sat beside Lena on the couch and for a moment they all just looked at each other while the silence dragged on before Lena spoke.</p><p>"Honey. You have to talk to us about this. You need to tell us what is going on."</p><p>Callie suddenly felt dead tired. She didn't want to have this conversation again. She didn't want to have to lie to them again. Hurt them again. She set her jaw and didn't respond.</p><p>The pain in Stef's face was obvious as she spoke. "We don't understand it, honey. We don't <em>understand </em>why you suddenly want to go live with Robert. Did he.. Did he threaten you? Or say something to make you think that this is the only choice you have?"</p><p>Callie swallowed hard. Could she really let them think that this was Robert's doing? It would definitely take the pressure off of her, but it wasn't fair. And most likely they would try and prevent her from going to live with him, which she couldn't risk.</p><p>"No. It's not like that." It was exactly like that. It wasn't Robert that threatened her, but she still had no choice. "It's just..." She scrambled for a moment - trying to come up with an explanation that they would believe. "Robert is kind. He obviously loves me and if he gets custody over me there is nothing anyone will ever be able to do to change that because he is my birth father. I will be out of the system forever..."</p><p>As she said the words, she realized how true they were. Not that she would choose Robert over Stef and Lena if she had a choice, but since she didn't... At least one good thing would come out of this situation.</p><p>"But honey that would also be true if Robert signed the abandonment papers and we adopted you." Lena leaned forward and took her hand which made Callie's heart throb with sadness.</p><p>"But he hasn't yet. I have begged him for weeks to do it and he hasn't." She sighed and continued. "I am just tired of fighting when there is no point."</p><p>They all sat in silence for a while longer - no one seemed to have anything more to say. So eventually she got up.</p><p>"So, I'm going to bed now, if that is alright." She looked at them and felt like she had taken a punch to the stomach when she saw the sadness in their faces.</p><p>Stef was the first one to pull it together. "Yeah sure. Goodnight, luv."</p><p>Callie fled the room and hurried up the stairs. At the top she stopped for a moment though and heard voices from downstairs.</p><p>"I just want to know what she's thinking. I don't get it. I don't get it. I don't get it at all." Stef sounded on the brink of tears and Callie's heart broke.</p><p>"I know. But is it really so hard to believe that, after everything she's been through, that she's just..." Lena also sounded sad, but she didn't sound as desperate as Stef. She actually sounded like she was trying to understand. "... she's just tired of living in limbo? That she just wants to make a choice before one is made for her?"</p><p>This was good, Callie thought to herself. At least Lena seemed to be trying to follow her reasoning.</p><p>"No, I don't buy it. Not with the way she has been acting lately. I think there's something else going on here. I guarantee it. Because even if Callie was tired of fighting for herself, she would never stop fighting for Jude."</p><p>And there it was. The crux of the matter. Because Stef was absolutely right. If there was any way at all around this, she would never leave Jude behind like this.</p><p>She sighed quietly and let herself into the room that she shared with Mariana. She was already asleep though and Callie just quietly dressed down for bed, while she thought about her conversation with Stef and Lena. Stef seemed intent on getting to the bottom of things and Callie wasn't at all sure that she could stop her. She could just hope that she would give up once Callie moved into Robert's house.</p><p>She rolled up her pants while she noticed the irony in the fact that she had never thought that she would feel so suffocated because someone actually believed in her. It would just make everything so much easier if they would just <em>stop </em>fighting for her.</p><p>Suddenly she couldn't breathe right and she clasped a hand to her chest in pain. Stef and Lena were fighting <em>for</em> her. It hadn't really occurred to her until now. This was the first family in years that was fighting to <em>keep</em> her and not to send her away. She had been told how they loved her thousands of times, but not until this moment had she actually dared to really <em>believe</em> those words. It didn't seem to matter that she had lied to them and that she had been an outright bitch during the last couple of weeks. They still loved her and they still wanted her. For the very first time since her mom died and her dad went to prison, someone actually wanted her. And now she would have to leave them.</p><p>Her knees buckled out under her and soon after she was kneeling on the floor and had buried her face in her bed, while she did her very best to keep her sobs as quiet as possible so as not to wake up Mariana.</p><p>----------------------------</p><p>The next morning the house was more calm than usual and Callie realized that it had to be Saturday. Nobody had to rush to school or anything else and she allowed herself to enjoy the family atmosphere. After all, soon she wouldn't get to anymore.</p><p>After breakfast everyone went to do their own things and Lena took Jude back to the hospital to see if he could visit Connor. Callie stayed home and took her homework out into the backyard in an effort to try and catch up on some of the things she had fallen behind on in the last couple of weeks.</p><p>She hadn't been out there for long, when Stef joined her and sat down at the table beside her. "Listen, I... I know that this is your decision to make. You are old enough to decide for yourself what you want to do with your life. So... I think that you should start by telling Jude of your decision. He should be the first to know, yes?"</p><p>Stef's voice was awfully matter-of-fact-ly and after what she had heard last night, Callie suspected Stef of trying to use Jude as a means to keep her in the house. And it might even have worked if Jude hadn't been the reason why she had to leave. So she just nodded and called her bluff. "Yeah. I guess you are right."</p><p>Surprise flashed over Stef's face but she was quick to hide it. If anything she looked even more suspicious now and Callie wondered if she might have sounded just a little too careless.</p><p>"Alright.. Do you want help telling him?" she asked then and Callie shook her head. Jude knew stuff about the last couple of weeks that she didn't think he had told Steff and Lena. And she wasn't going to risk the chance of him saying anything that Stef could use.</p><p>"No, I think it will be better if it's just me and him." She bit her cheek and then asked one of the questions she needed to have answered. "Do you know when...?" She needed to know if she would be able to be at Robert's in a week. That was all that Liam had given her and if it couldn't happen that fast, then she would have to figure something else out.</p><p>"Well once we are all in agreement there really isn't much that needs to be done. A few days at the earliest. Although I would prefer a bit more for the sake of your brothers and sisters." Stef's voice was a little berating and Callie swallowed.</p><p>"Friday then? I can talk to everybody and get everything sorted out by then." It was easier talking about things this way. They were discussing facts instead of feelings and it kept Callie from feeling any of them too deeply.</p><p>Stef swallowed visibly but then just nodded. "Sure. If you really want out of here so fast."</p><p>Callie could hear the implications of her words. That she should let everyone have more time getting used to the idea, before she uprooted the whole family. But Callie didn't have the luxury of time. Of course she couldn't tell Stef that, but maybe she could tell her something else. "It's not that, Stef. I.. I just think that it might be better with a clean break now that it is already decided. And I am sure that Robert won't mind me spending time here still, so that..." She felt her emotions stick in her throat and swallowed hard. "So that they won't miss me too much."</p><p>Stef seemed on the verge of taking the cue to end the conversation and leave, but she stopped herself mid-movement and sank back down on the chair. Her efficient attitude fell and she slowly reached out to cover one of Callie's hands with hers.</p><p>"For God's sake Callie." Her voice was earnest and she fixed Callie with her almost panicky eyes. "If you don't stop this now, then you will be taken out of our house for good. Once Robert has custody there won't be anything we can do to get you back here. You will be pulled away from your family <em>again</em>. You will be pulled away from Jude. Is this really what you want??"</p><p>Stef's words hit home and Callie felt herself tear up. She knew that she should say yes. She knew that she should play the part. Anything less than that and Stef wouldn't be able to move on from this. It would haunt her. But there was no way that she could say it and sound like she meant it right now. She was going to make Stef suspicious either way. And she really, really needed Stef to know that she didn't hate her. Stef, who was as much of a mother as she had ever hoped to have again.</p><p>So she drew in a breath to steady herself and looked Stef in the eye - pleading with her to understand. "It's what I <em>need</em>. It's what I really <em>need</em>."</p><p>Callie could see the gears working themselves into place in Stef's head and she both regretted and rejoiced in having said those words. At least she had given Stef <em>something</em>. Something to let her see that she hadn't been wrong about her. At least she could give her that.</p><p>Stef just sat there for several moments and looked at Callie with big, concerned eyes. There was no doubt about the fact that Callie had scared her. But she was already scared and at least this way she might accept that Callie actually <em>was</em> leaving.</p><p>"You are our daughter," she finally said and Callie blinked rapidly to get the tears out of her eyes. "Whatever you need help with, I will do it. I don't care what it is that you are protecting us from, Callie. I don't care what it might cost me to help you. Whatever it is, <em>just tell me </em>- please."</p><p>There was nothing she wanted more in the world right now than to tell Stef that it wasn't her that would have to pay the price, if she said anything. But that would be too much information. She shouldn't even have said anything to begin with and now she really needed to stop so that she wouldn't go too far. So she slowly withdrew her hand from underneath Stef's and looked at her. "I promise to come and visit as often as I can," she said. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>It seems that there will be a couple of semi-quick updates on this, but I hope you won't mind :P Inspiration has hit and I am taking full advantage ^^</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. Chapter 19</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Callie finds the courage to talk to Brandon about their kiss and Brandon has a surprise for her.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Talking to Stef had been harder than she could have imagined and Callie struggled to concentrate on her homework for the rest of the morning. She managed to get enough done that she wouldn't get detention, but not enough that she could hope to do well. It would have to be enough for today. Hopefully she would be able to get some more done in the morning. Or maybe later this evening. To take her mind off of everything, she took her guitar out to the yard and just played for a while. </p><p>She didn't play any songs, but just let the chords drag her along. Which was why it puzzled her for a moment, when suddenly she heard the same set of chords being played along with her. It took her only a moment to realize that it had to be Brandon, who could hear her playing from his room and it made her smile. But then she realized that she actually hadn't talked to him since their completely inappropriate kiss. She did the math in her head and was surprised to realize that that was a week ago today. How could that be? Of course it had been the same day that she was hospitalized and she knew that he had been there to visit her with the others. And she had also seen him around the house. Was he avoiding being alone with her? Or maybe he thought that that was what she was doing?</p><p>When she stopped playing, so did Brandon and she just sat on the porch for a few moments, before she started playing again and immediately she heard Brandon again too. It was like they were having a distant conversation somehow and it made Callie sure that it definitely hadn't been Brandon, who had avoided <em> her </em>since he was obviously trying to communicate now.</p><p>She stopped playing again and the keyboard halted too. For a moment Callie just sat and tried to figure out what she should say to him, but she couldn't decide on anything. But at least she knew that she couldn't just leave to live with Robert without first talking things out with Brandon. So she decided that she might as well get it done now, before everything became even more complicated than it already was.</p><p>She could hear Stef along with Mariana and Jesus in the kitchen and she knew that Lena and Jude hadn't come home from the hospital yet although it was getting late. That meant that Brandon was alone upstairs and Callie snuck up unwilling to be noticed. At least nobody said anything and she walked over to Brandon's closed door.</p><p>She knocked quietly and went inside, when he told her too. Just to be on the safe side she closed the door behind her. She knew that it would probably look weird if Stef came up here to find them behind a closed door, but on the other hand - so many things were weird right now and Stef would have no way of knowing what they were talking about.</p><p>Brandon sat by his keyboard and looked at her with sad eyes. He was hurting. She could see that now. How had she missed this? She walked across the room and sat on the bed. It was close enough that she wouldn't seem like she was avoiding him and not so close that she was inviting to do anything. Which she wasn't even sure if she wanted.</p><p>"Hey." She really wasn't sure what to say. Maybe he would say something, if she just started the conversation.</p><p>"Hey," he replied and then, to Callie's dismay, fell quiet again. Apparently this would be up to her. She sighed quietly and decided that it was best to just say what was on her mind.</p><p>"I haven't been avoiding you, if that is what you are thinking. I'm just... Overwhelmed I guess."</p><p>"I didn't think that you were avoiding me," he replied to her surprise and she raised her eyes to look at him. "Really?"</p><p>"Really," he confirmed and got up to sit on the bed next to her. "I have just been giving you space to... I don't know.. I know I shouldn't have kissed you. I screwed up everything...!" He lifted a fist and hit it hard down onto his knee. Callie grabbed it and held it so that he wouldn't do it again.</p><p>"Stop it. Everything was already screwed up. It wasn't anything you did." If anything <em> she </em> had screwed everything up.</p><p>"Oh please. You have been acting like you are just waiting to be thrown out of here. You even collapsed! Mom is so worried you are gonna run away again that she is sleeping in the hall...." He avoided her eyes and looked down at his knees in defeat.</p><p>Callie decided that she had to say something. Brandon was really upset and had somehow convinced himself that everything was of his doing. It wasn't fair to let him take the fall for that. </p><p>"Listen. You aren't the reason that... Just... You aren't the reason, okay?" She looked at him until he tilted his head enough to meet her eyes. "You aren't the reason..."</p><p>Brandon's eyebrows drew together and then he straightened up. "Wait, I'm not the reason? What is it then, is it still...?" He seemed to be getting it now and for like a second he was relieved, but then his face was laced with concern for her. "Is it still that other thing that you couldn't talk about?"</p><p>She nodded a little although she knew that she probably shouldn't. But she couldn't let him berate himself like this. "Yeah. Things might be... A bit different.. Soon."</p><p>She was pretty sure that he would connect the dots between what she had said and the reason why she would suddenly go live with Robert. So she might as well tell him in advance so that he wouldn't blurt anything out, when they were all sitting together.</p><p>"Different how?" he asked and his concern melted into unease. And when she didn't answer right away he continued. "Different how, Callie?"</p><p>She sighed once and resigned to tell him. "Look, you have to keep this quiet for now. Jude doesn't know yet and I want him to hear it from me, okay?"</p><p>Brandon nodded, but he didn't look happy about it.</p><p>"I have asked Robert if I can move in with him. It will probably be next week." There was a beat of silence and then Brandon almost shouted. "WHAT?" </p><p>"Shhhh! Be quiet, do you want everybody to hear?!" Her heart was beating in double time and she knew that she sounded panicky.</p><p>He lowered his voice, but there was no denying the fact that he was both shocked and hurt. "But, but. But, you can't do that. You can't just run away from your problems like that and go live with the Quinns!"</p><p>Anger filled her and for a moment she honestly wanted to hit him. "I am NOT running away from my problems!" she hissed while looking him straight in the eye. "This is just the way that things has to be, okay?"</p><p>"No! No, not okay!" Brandon jumped to his feet and turned around to face her. "What the hell is going on, Callie?! You have to stop it. Whatever it is, you have to stop it!" </p><p>"You don't think that I have tried?" she hissed as she too got to her feet, while angry tears filled her eyes. "You think that this is what I want? You have no idea, what kind of pressure, I am under!" She knew that she should shut up now, but she was so mad that she didn't think she would be able to. She had counted on him to have her back in this. Now that it turned out that he hadn't, she felt betrayed.</p><p>Her words seemed to diffuse Brandon's anger. His eyes shifted from horror to concern and his shoulders fell a little. "Okay... Okay then let's figure it out together. I can help you figure this out." He stepped forward and took her hands, but she just shook her head. </p><p>"I told you... I can't talk about it." Her angry tears had turned into real tears, now that he wasn't yelling at her anymore, and she felt almost fragile with him this close to her.</p><p>"I promise that I won't say anything to anybody," he said. "Not even Moms. I won't tell a soul." </p><p>"Yes you would," she whispered and more tears started to stream down her cheeks. "If you knew, then you would tell." She was sure about that. And apparently she had stopped trying to keep up appearances. At least around Brandon.</p><p>They stood like that for a long moment, while they tried to feel each other out. Brandon was the first to look away. He seemed defeated.</p><p>A moment later, he looked back at her. "Tell me what I can do to help you then. If you won't let me help with that, then tell me what else I can do."</p><p>Her eyes blurred out completely with tears, as one of her bigger fears let itself be known. She blinked a few times before she answered in a half-whisper. "Promise that you won't hate me."</p><p>There was only a beat of silence. "Of course I won't hate you," he promised and halted for a moment, when his voice broke. "I don't even think that is possible, Callie. I love you."</p><p>For a long moment they just stood like that and looked into each other's eyes. And then Callie found her voice. "I love you too." </p><p>This time she was the one who reached for his lips and she gently put her hands on either side of his face. What did it matter if she kissed Brandon now? He was never going to be her brother, now that she was going to live with the Quinns. Things might still be difficult if Liam ever found out, but she couldn't see how he should be able to. And at least for now it meant that one of her problems was getting easier to handle.</p><p>Kissing Brandon was completely different from kissing Liam. He was warm and she felt safe here in his arms while their lips moved in unison. This kiss had more desperation in it than their last kiss had had and Callie felt like she was being sucked into the kiss by unknown forces. She couldn't have moved away even if she wanted to. And she didn't. Unlike Liam's, Brandon's hands didn't go wandering either. He just held her close and made her feel loved.</p><p>Eventually they broke off the kiss and Callie rested her forehead on his collarbone and just enjoyed being held. She could feel Brandon's cheek on the top of her head and they were both panting slightly. </p><p>"We probably shouldn't have done that," he eventually said in a hushed tone. "I know," was all she said. Because she had no regrets. She knew that she shouldn't have done it, because the rest of the family would freak out if they knew what they had just done. But in the grand scheme of things, she couldn't make herself care. What was one more secret anyway?</p><p>"You know, I talked to Moms about Idyllwild," he said after a while where neither of them had moved.</p><p>Callie couldn't make herself leave, so she was grateful for the change of topic. "I'm glad. Are they going to let you go?"</p><p>"I didn't ask them to let me go," he admitted and Callie leaned her head back to be able to look at him. Something was a little off in his voice. "Really? What did you ask then?" </p><p>"I asked them if I could get that second surgery." He swallowed visibly and now it was Callie's turn to look at him with concern. </p><p>They stood together in stunned silence for a moment, while Callie digested the news. "Are you sure, Brandon?"</p><p>"I am," he replied and when he put his warm hand against her cheek, she leaned into it. "I mean, I am still terrified. But I have tried it this way. I have tried to settle. And it's not working. I just know that I won't ever be really happy, if I am not able to play my music the way I know it should be played."</p><p>He hesitated for a moment and Callie saw more sadness in his eyes. "Being a pianist... It's everything that I have ever dreamed to be. If that is not going to happen, then I need to know that I at least have done everything in my power before giving it up."</p><p>She could see the truth in his eyes and nodded. "I understand. And I really hope that it works. When are you getting it done?"</p><p>"I have an appointment with the surgeon tomorrow. And if he gives me green light, then I will have the surgery on Thursday."</p><p>He seemed both scared and eager at the same time and Callie couldn't blame him. He was risking an awful lot of mobility in his hand if he went through with this. And he had been so depressed after the last operation that she feared he wouldn't be able to get up off the floor, if it didn't work this time either.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As always, I really hope you liked the chapter. ^^ If you did, then I would love a comment and/or a kudo &lt;3</p><p>For anyone finding this information interesting, I am merging in quite a lot from episodes 2x13, 2x17 and 2x18 in the next couple of chapters. :)</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I know this is a niche fic and I love it for what it is &lt;3 But I am getting a lot more attention on other fics and the positive reinforcement is pulling at me.</p><p>I haven't abandoned this fic, though updates might be sparse. So remember to bookmark or subscribe to this story or to my profile if you want to make sure to be notified with updates ^^</p></blockquote></div></div>
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